Photograph by Jessica Pettway, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Sophie Strangio
“Tamales, to me, are the ultimate comfort food,” says Maricela Vega, the chef at Atlanta restaurant 8ARM and founder of Chicomecóatl, an organization centering the foodways of Indigenous diaspora. “They originated in Mesoamerica long before colonization and have been evolving ever since. Because farmers tend to cure and store the maíz that tamales are made from by November, they’ve become a staple dish for the cold winter months. This particular tamal, filled with carrots, habaneros, and garlic, is my celebration of how the harvest from summer and fall floats into wintertime.”