Love tamales? These were voted the best at the Atascadero Tamale Festival

Atascadero

Atascadero recently hosted the third annual Tamale Festival, with 29 tamale vendors from San Luis Obispo County and across Southern California.

Each year, a Judges’ Favorite Tamale Contest and a People’s Choice Contest are held. The tamales were divided into three categories: sweet, gourmet and traditional. Here are the winners:

2018 JUDGES’ FAVORITE

Sweet: 1st Place: La Luz del Mundo, Paso Robles; 2nd Place: Nohemi’s Concessions, Riverside; 3rd Place: Atascadero Apostolic Church, Atascadero.

Gourmet: 1st Place: Shave N’ Flav, Paso Robles; 2nd Place: Frutiland La Casa del Sabor, Arroyo Grande; 3rd Place: Los Delicias de Zacatecas, San Luis Obispo.

Traditional: 1st Place: Shav N’Flav, Paso Robles; 2nd Place: Que Pasa Mexican Café, Atascadero; 3rd Place: Tia Juanitas, Atascadero.

2018 PEOPLE’S CHOICE

Sweet: 1st Place: Garcia’s Restaurant, Atascadero; 2nd Place: La Luz del Mundo, Paso Robles; 3rd Place: La Luz del Mundo, Santa Ana.

Gourmet: 1st Place: Garcia’s Restaurant, Atascadero; 2nd Place: La Luz del Mundo Paso Robles; 3rd Place: Garcia’s Tamales, Paso Robles.

Traditional: 1st Place: Garcia’s Restaurant, Atascadero; 2nd Place: La Luz del Mundo Paso Robles; 3rd Place: La Luz del Mundo, Santa Ana.

TAMALE EATING CONTEST

Ages 12 & Over: Isaac Torres took first place, finishing five tamales in under three minutes.

Under 12 Years: Benjamin Romero, 11, Templeton, won first place.

San Luis Obispo County

Sophia Emilianne Whittle from Nipomo and Emily Christine McAllen from Templeton both have earned placement on the Gonzaga University Dean’s List for fall 2017. Students must earn a 3.5 to 3.84 grade-point average to be listed.

Gonzaga University is a private Catholic University in Spokane, Washington.

This story was originally published January 30, 2018 at 5:18 PM with the headline "Love tamales? These were voted the best at the Atascadero Tamale Festival."