Celebrating 15 years of Padrino Foods

Posted by Erin Mueller on

This month, we celebrate Padrino Foods being in business for 15 years.  It’s milestone moments like this, where you reflect on where you started and where you are now and all of the moments in between.  Our story is filled with moments of trust, faith, and true genuine hard work.  We truly started with humble beginnings in 2006.  David and Diane Luther (also known as Tamale Dave and Tamale Diane) knew they had the best tasting tamales around and they wanted to share them with others.

Dave and Diane with our first Padrino Truck

Tamale Dave and Tamale Diane knew that their heating method (boil bags) could truly change the way people enjoyed tamales.  They just needed that first customer to see the value and place the first order so that Padrino Foods could get off the ground.  David and Diane packed up the car with a cooler of tamales and made the drive from Dallas to Lubbock to secure that very first customer.  They visited United Grocers in Lubbock with the knowledge that if United didn’t bring our tamales in to their store, Padrino Foods would fail before they even got started.  United tasted the tamales and knew that their customers would love them as well.  They trusted in us to continue to provide tamales made with fresh ingredients and hand rolled in fresh corn shucks.  We took that first success and built upon it with true grit and determination.

Padrino Tamales on the shelf at Market Street/United – our first customer

Having the best tamales around has also helped us grow over the last 15 years!  We have been able to show our customers that you can have homemade tasting tamales without the process involved to create them.  In 15 years, we have grown from that first grocery customer to a multi-million dollar operation.  As we reflect back, we know that we truly couldn’t have grown to what we are (and where we are going) without the support of our amazing employees.  We have employees that have been with us since the beginning.  They have continued to believe in us as we added new flavors, new customers, and revolutionized the way that tamales are created.  In the next year, we can’t wait to highlight our employees and all that they have accomplished as Padrino Foods grows.  Make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with us as we grow in 2022.

Employee cook-out to celebrate all of their hard work

Cheers to 15 years Padrino Foods!  Cheers to all of our family and friends who have supported and cheered us on!  Raise a glass and enjoy a tamale dinner this Holiday Season!

What is a Tamale? — The History

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Tamale is the Spanish singular word for a packet of dough made from masa. Masa is ground corn enhanced with lime juice or calcium hydroxide to make the corn more bio-available. The masa dough is spread inside of a corn husk and filled with savory or sweet ingredients and then steamed or baked.

Tamales however humble are time consuming to make. It’s a multi-step process that goes a lot quicker with helping hands. Many families will gather in the Fall or Christmas and eat, drink, dance and enjoy one’s company, a joyous occasion enveloped in years of tradition.

The Mayans and Aztec civilization used tamales as portable food for hunters, travelers, and warriors. Beyond the practical uses tamales played a huge role in the ancient world of sacrifice and gods.

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Diane and David Luther

D Magazine — Ready To Cash In

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David and Diane Luther, president and vice president, respectively, of Padrino Foods in Dallas, hope to give the Super Bowl a Tex-Mex flavor with tamales served in the suites and at concession stands.

“The tamale would be a great way to put a Texas spin at the stadium,” David Luther says. “We just really feel like this product has great potential in that venue. Tamales and nachos. What would go better?”

The 3-year-old company with 15 workers, owned by friends Diane Luther, Peggy Murray, and Renee Black, is working to get its individually vacuum-packed tamales into area sports venues, including at Cowboys Stadium.

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Padrinos Food Dave Luther Tamales

Take The Night Off From Cooking

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We know you find yourself coming home from work and the last thing on your mind is what’s for dinner. No need to worry, take the night off! That’s why we created easy sealed frozen packs to-go. With Padrinos Foods, all you need is to warm up our wonderful tasting tamales for a minute or two and dinner is served. We package our product in vacuum-sealed bags for convenience, maximum freshness and extended shelf life. The bags can be placed in boiling water, re-therm units, steamers or microwaves.

“We take great pride in our tamales: how they tastes, ingredients and the way it is made and served to you. We are constantly creating new delicious combinations and offer a large range of flavor options.”

Padrinos Foods strives in keeping customers happy with great tasting tamales while always remaining in touch with our roots and committed to our values of quality, authenticity, environment, health and community.

Padrino Foods Tamales in D Magazine

D Magazine — Padrino Foods Tamales

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As a native Texan, tamales are nothing new to me. While growing up, my mom would eat tamales for lunch during the summer and I was always a fan. She regularly got the kind they sell in a can at the super market, (which now, as an adult, I realize really should not even be considered real tamales). But because I have loved them from the start, I am always trying different types to see which I like best. View Full D Magazine Article