In Memorie to Luar Salcedo Ramos

La Indiana Tamales was acquired by our mother, Luar Salcedo Ramos in 1979. When our mother began running La Indiana Tamales, she spent over ten hours a day, seven days a week making sure her customers were satisfied with her products. Our mother loved experimenting with different spices and sought out to improve her tamales. She experimented with different flavors, tried new products and requested her customers sample her revisions. She valued her customer’s opinions and did her best to cater to their needs. After trying new recipes, acquiring new tastes and receiving positive feedback, she finally perfected the tamale our clients chose her to make. Luar Salcedo Ramos was born in a small town in Durango, Mexico. She was the youngest of six children. She had two older sisters and three older brothers. When our mother was a child – her mother Francisca began raising her family on her own. Our mother was about 4 years old when our grandmother decided to move to Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico. They were a poor family so to make ends meet, Francisca would often cook and wash clothes for the rich. Our mother occasionally accompanied our grandmother to work and would often help her prepare and cook meals. She closely observed the way our grandmother prepared dishes and learned at a young age how to cook authentic meals.

In 1953, our mother was sixteen years old when she married Isaac Ortiz Ramos. They had many children over the years and continued to reside in Torreon, Mexico. In 1967, our parents decided they wanted to give their seven children a better life – so they purchased a new home in California. By the time our mother was 32 years old, she had had nine children. Our father worked hard to support his family and our mother did everything she could to help. Most of the activities she performed were beneficial for both her learning experiences and financial difficulties. She took on many responsibilities at a young age, and as she aged, carried those responsibilities with her. Although she was young and had an army to raise, she still managed to work as an Avon representative where she became one of Avon’s top sellers. She turned collecting Blue Chip Stamps into a hobby to purchase items for her home. Somehow, she found time to work part-time as a cafeteria attendant for the HLPUSD. Our mother also saved money by clipping coupons, purchasing eggs from a local neighbor (who had a chicken farm), and buying milk from Alta Dena (which used to come in a bottle). Our mother was a wise businesswoman who enjoyed working while raising her children. She had a natural ability to find ways of improving her social skills – and increasing her desire to expand her knowledge. The kitchen was one of her favorite places to be. She was a person who enjoyed cooking for her family, relatives, friends, and strangers. Her natural instinct of creating and preparing meals was not only delicious but often praised by those who savored her dishes. She needed no direction, took no opinion, used no measurements and would still create a dish like no other.

La Indiana Tamales is the only tamale which is prepared homemade and delivers the quality and authentic flavor of how a tamale should taste. Our tamales are the most popular one’s nationwide because our mother worked hard to create a meal all ethnicities would enjoy. We are extremely proud of her for creating such a dish and are honored to have the opportunity to share it throughout the country. There are many wonderful and exciting stories we can share about our mother, and wish we had the ability to express more on what she meant to us. The truth of the matter is, that hundreds of words could not relay the unconditional love we have for her. What we do know is that she was the one person that loved us, regardless of where we worked or how we lived. She was the cushion we relied on when we fell, and the rock we climbed for strength. Above and beyond all the lives she touched and all the love she received . . . the one thing we are most proud of is that LUAR SALCEDO RAMOS WAS OUR MOTHER!