Asia's Tamales Mom//Episode #9

A craving can change a life. Maribel Colmenares left a rising corporate path, crossed the world for love, and found herself in Singapore missing the foods that feel like home: tamales, pozole, moles, the masa-first dishes that rarely make global menus. What started as a kitchen project with her visiting mom became a WhatsApp group, then a web shop, then pop-ups that quietly proved a case. The insight was simple but powerful: if locals could learn the feel of masa through familiar fillings, they’d be ready to meet tamales as Mexicans know them.

We walk through the real work behind that leap - navigating allergies in a seafood city, learning petrochemical sales on the fly, and later, confronting grief when her mother passed and her father fell ill. Corporate timelines couldn’t bend, so she made a choice: quit, be with family, and finally test the tamales concept at scale. A bar offered lunch hours, demand spiked, and a larger kitchen came through a restaurateur who believed in the product. The brand found its heartbeat in a name: Mami’s Tamales, honoring the woman who built her palate and her grit.

From there, the vision widened without losing its core. She balanced authenticity with accessibility, standardized handmade food by weight, and trained staff to educate guests without preaching. Purpose became the engine when passion ran low. And the dining room transformed into a hub: Lunch and Learn for founders, Spanish o’clock for language lovers, trivia and singles nights for anyone tired of swipes and ready for eye contact. The goal now is regional - Bangkok, Shanghai, Seoul - built on a simple standard: we’re only as good as our last service.

If stories of reinvention, cultural translation, and purpose-led hospitality light you up, press play, subscribe, and leave a review with your own grief-to-gold moment. And if you’ve tried tamales before, tell us your favorite filling—we’re listening.

Check out Maribel's restaurant and her social platforms:

Instagram: @mamistamales
Facebook: @Mami's Tamales Singapore
On LinkedIn 

Transcript

Purpose Over Outcomes

SPEAKER_00 0:00

So I always remember myself and our team, you know, like we're doing something big. This is something nobody ever has done. So we need to detach ourselves from outcomes, but just do every day. Make sure every day, every service, it's a great experience for our guests. I believe we're as good as our last service. You know, you can be great one year ago, but if you're not good now, that's it. So we have to focus on making sure that we keep on delighting guests to be able to grow. And the plans, what I would love to achieve is to see mamis tamales in different parts of Asia.

Edit 0:51

Today we are wrapping up with Mibal Colmenares, the Mexican firecracker who traded corporate suits for corn husks, turning homesickness into Singapore's hottest tamala empire. From a spontaneous job hunt at a wedding trip to building Mammy's Tamales Emmet family loss and cultural mashups, Mariba's stories is a spicy blend of heartbreak, hustle, and hybrid Maciporean magic. Get ready for flavors of resilience that will make you rethink reinvention. Let's unwrap this. Hello, welcome to the podcast. Hello, thank you for having me. Tell me how you ended up in Singapore from the other side of the world.

Surprise Visits And A Proposal

SPEAKER_00 1:36

Okay. So I studied my master's degree in Australia in Melbourne, and that's where I met my now husband. Back then, of course, we were just friends. And um, when I went back to Mexico, he started sending flowers and teddybes, and my family started getting very curious who's this mystery man. But of course, I was like, no, no, no, I don't want any far distance relationships, you know, it's okay. And so the mystery man one day had a because I did one master's degree in business, international business, but he did two in business and um finance. So when I came back, he was still in Australia and he had one week break. So he just called me and said, Oh, I miss you so much. I'm in Puebla, which is my city. So of course I thought it was a joke. And I remember there was a fair in my city. So I was going there with my family, and my father was like, Okay, we're picking up this guy. Who is he? And so we went to pick him up, and he had he was there waiting with flowers. And I was like, Oh my god, so embarrassed. But yeah, so he was there for a week. On my first day of his trip, I spared my uncle. So thankfully, my family is like, Oh my god, he traveled from the other side of the world and now you cannot walk. So they were very sweet and took turns to bring him around because they knew I could barely walk. And then everybody fell in love with him and were like, Oh my god, what is happening with him? I'm like, no, no, no, no, no. He's from very far. I don't want any long-distance relationship. So I was very adamant on not really trying a relationship with him, despite I knew that he was a very sweet guy. So I particularly remember one episode in Australia when it was his birthday, and then he showed up in my place and he had flowers. And I'm like, huh? It's your birthday. Why are you bringing me flowers? And he was like, No, you don't understand. My present is a smile on your face. So I was like, okay. But we were all together. So I always had like a question mark, like, who is this guy? You know? So we knew each other because we were classmates, but I was really busy because I was working to pay my the remaining of my scholarship, and then I was studying, of course. And then on the first trip, that's what happened. He went back, and that was that. But then it was Mother's Day and he sent flowers to my mother. So, you know, the mystery continued. And then his brother was getting married, and he was like, Oh, I would love you to come for the wedding. But I was still like just working to finish paying the remaining of my scholarship in Australia. And I was like, Thank you, but I don't think I could I can come at the moment. And you know, after some time, he calls me again and he's like, Hey, my birthday is coming again. Guess what I bought? I'm like, okay, what did you get for yourself? And he's like, Open your email. And I'm like, okay. So I opened my email and there was a ticket for me to come to Singapore for the wedding. And since I knew that I really like uh Formula One, there was a ticket to stay a bit longer so that we could go to Formula One together. So I knew I was coming for a wedding and to see Formula One. And um, yeah, so that was the plan. But one week before that, he it was actually the day of his birthday, and I was having dinner with a friend of mine who's a Mexican but studied with us in Australia. And then she picked me up and she's like, Hey, let's go flirting. And I'm like, It's a Monday. Who wants to flirt on a Monday? And she's like, Let's get dressed, and she starts sending me photos, like, I already wore my high heels. And I was at the gym. I was like, Yeah, I'm wearing my pants. Like, I'm already doing my makeup. So she comes, picks me up, and then I'm wearing pants and tennis shoes. And she's like, Yeah, let's go. It's Monday. Come on, let's go out flirting. Do you are you seeing somebody? I'm like, no, I'm not, but it's a Monday. She's like, no, no, just change. So we changed, opened her car, and I was asking her, okay, so where are we going to go out flirting, according to you? She's like, Oh, we're going to a hotel to have this like uh high tea. And I'm like, You want to go out flirting on a Monday at a hotel? This doesn't make sense at all. So anyway, we reached there, and all of a sudden she goes to the toilet, and I start seeing a guy walking towards me that looked like my now husband. I'm like, wow, I think I'm starting to miss him, but okay, I'm going to Singapore soon. And that's it. I turned around, and next thing I know, he's sitting at my table. He's like, Oh, hello, aren't you happy to see me? And I'm like, oh wow, it's really you. Happy birthday. He's like, Yeah, I wanted to have dinner with my favorite person in the world. So, you know, I wanted to fly here. I also don't want your family to think that um I'm not serious about you. So I wanted to pick you up before you come with me to Singapore. And I was like, oh my God. This was a very big surprise. But uh then he said, Okay, I have a surprise for you. And I'm like, What? So okay, he blindfolded me. And we went to the top of the hotel. And they were like candles and balloons with photos of us in Australia. And um, then he asked me, okay, I know that for Mexican girls, you have to ask. You want to um if you want them to be your girlfriend, so do you want to be my girlfriend? It's like, oh my god, how do I say no now? But of course I already liked him. It's just I didn't like that he was from far, far away. So I said yes.

Edit 6:43

So this is how it started.

First Job In Singapore And Culture Shocks

SPEAKER_00 6:45

This is how it started, but then you stayed. No, two minutes and a half later, he actually asked me to marry him. And I was crazy enough to say yes. So yeah, the next day I had to tell all my family, oh, guess what? Now I have a boyfriend, and guess what? I'm getting married. And they're like, oh, and guess what? I'm moving countries. So it was a really crazy um ride, and that's how I came to Singapore. So I came here as a tourist. Of course, we were engaged, and everybody already told me, oh, it's really hard to find a job in Singapore. And so one night I couldn't sleep, and that's when everything else started. But yeah, I was here already to get married to him.

Edit 7:26

And how did this whole story continue? Because for me it seems like a kind of Hollywood story, but I suppose there might have been some challenges as well.

Homesickness And Food Memories

SPEAKER_00 7:36

For sure. For sure. First of all, I was uh questioning my sanity. I was marrying a guy I had never dated. I was changing country. I had been to Singapore and I knew his family. But of course, it's not the same to just say hi bye than to really meet a new family, right? So I remember that I was like, okay, first of all, I need to do something here. And so if it's hard to find a job, let me try to start. One night I couldn't sleep because of the jet lag, and I saw that this company had a position for um account executive in sales in Portuguese, one in French, one in Spanish. And I was like, hey, great, they need me. I can speak all of those languages. So I applied, and the next day I received a call, and then I went for an interview and I got the job. I remember it was on my birthday. So that was my birthday present. And um, yeah, you everybody was very surprised because I got the job on a tourist visa, even faster than my Singaporean husband. And um, of course, everything was challenging. I am allergic to fish and seafood to begin with. And uh in Mexico, I live in an inner city, so if I want to avoid that, I just don't go to a seafood restaurant. But here it was everywhere. So I remember that I didn't know the menus, I didn't know what it meant, I didn't know. Sometimes I would say, okay, this no fish, no seafood, and they'll say yes, but then surprise, oyster sauce, fish sauce, and so I had allergies. I think that was the first, the first really tricky part, trying to learn what I like to eat when I got a job very fast. So I didn't really have time to to adjust to Singapore and get to know Singapore like slowly. It was on the go. Did you feel any homesick that time?

Edit 9:25

Yes. Were there things that you were really missing from uh from Mexico?

SPEAKER_00 9:29

Yes, my family would get angry when I say that I miss the Mexican food the most. But of course, my family as well, my friends, the way you do things, the fact that you don't have to explain yourself to people because they know you already. So I think all of these components, and of course, I was I had to learn so many petrochemicals in different languages very fast. So it was like too much, too fast, too soon. But I was like, okay, I can do this, and yeah.

Edit 9:57

You mentioned you missed the food from Mexico as well. This is what inspired you when you opened your restaurant, or was it something?

SPEAKER_00 10:05

Well, back then I guess I didn't know I was gonna ever open a restaurant, but of course it's a big factor of what inspired you.

Edit 10:13

Yeah, because you studied something else. So you were in business and you studied business, but you ended up in a hospitality.

SPEAKER_00 10:21

Yeah, so my path towards corporate was also not straight. I started studying logistics and foreign trade. So in Mexico, I was working for um German company doing consulting for the automotive sector. Then, of course, I went to do my master's, and when I came here, I was in sales for the petrochemical, which is not exactly similar. So I had to learn how to reinvent myself, and that continued. So, you know, I eventually was promoted. I kept on doing more sales, then I headed to my next company and I was doing partnerships and business development, where I really fell in love with the role because I really like to build things. So I was working for a founder that's also a big inspiration for me today, and um, I started writing books. Eventually, I started making tamales because I was pregnant with my second daughter and I was desperate. Starving for tamales. So yeah, I never knew that a craving would be so powerful.

Edit 11:24

Okay, but this became a business uh after a short while, not during because of your pregnancy, but uh it became a quite um flourishing business model, so to say.

Tamales Begin At Home

SPEAKER_00 11:37

Yeah, so it was never intended, although I love business, it was never intended to be a business, but it just so happened that my mom was here because I was gonna keep birth, and then she had not much to do, and so we made tamales. Some Mexican friends came over and they're like, Oh, this is really good. Can we order tamales? And my mom was like, Oh, I have nothing to do, you're in marketing. So you market them and then we do tamales together. I was like, Okay, sounds like a good deal. I get an opportunity to keep on eating tamales, so why not? So I remember we started with a WhatsApp group. So we would change the flavors every week. Like, okay, what do we feel like this week? Morley or this or that, and then we'll have a poll and people will vote, and that's what we will do. And then the group started growing, and then it was not only Mexicans, it was Latinos, it was Americans. And I said, Oh, there's something special here. But then, of course, I always had my full-time job. So I realized that it was very time consuming to have it manually, and then I decided to create an online shop, and uh, we started taking orders with the online cart, which was faster, reduce errors, and uh that's how it all started. We were ready when COVID happened because we were already having a website for people to order online.

Edit 12:52

How big was that community that time who ordered from your from your tamales selection?

The WhatsApp Shop And Early Demand

SPEAKER_00 12:59

I do not recall the number because it was never about metrics, it was never about the business. It was about the fun of sharing about the culture, the flavors, the varieties, the different regions, and how they do their their tamales as well. So it started really like fun. The time when I, for the first time, started pausing and thinking, wow, there's something special here. It's because we noticed that we were getting calls from embassies, from museums, to do events with them and even partnerships. And despite I never really market heavily the tamales, people kept on ordering. So it got me thinking, what would happen if I actually spent more time growing this rather than just having it as a side hustle for fun just to satisfy my tamales craving?

Edit 13:52

I think tamales is not the most popular uh food in Mexican cuisine because we Mexican cuisine we consider like tacos, for example, or enchiladas and so on, but not tamales. Yeah.

Pop‑Ups, Feedback, And Local Tastes

Tamales 101 And Masa Education

SPEAKER_00 14:08

How did you turn this? So I think to begin with, tamales are very popular in Mexico, South America and America and the United States. But of course, when I started traveling, I left Mexico when I was 18. You know, I lived in in different places. And everywhere I go, people in and restaurants, they always serve burritos, chingmichangas, tacos, and chilabas, you know. And I'm not saying it's not delicious, but I was missing the things that as Mexicans we grew up with. And tamales is a big part of it. You know, it's not just for celebrations, which it is, but it's also a weekend thing we share with our families or a grab on the way to work or to school, even put it in inside of a bread as a torta and eat it. And I was just surprised that there was no such thing as tamales anywhere else. So it made me realize that it was like a best kept secret that we needed to share it with this part of the world. But of course, the question was we know that Latinos and uh Americans love tamales, but would Singaporeans and people from this part of the world be able to embrace them and actually enjoy them? So that's when we started to do a lot of pop-ups. We would take part in events and then we will gather feedback. I think that being present was the most important because you want to see the faces. You don't want just people to tell you it's good because they feel that they have to say it's good because you're there, but you want to just distance yourself enough to see whether they're enjoying, they want again, they want to come back for more. And um, we realized there was a case for Singaporeans liking tamales, but of course tamales is not for everyone as well, because it's an acquired taste for some. In fact, when we opened Mammis Tamales, some of our staff in the beginning didn't quite understand tamales. Now they love them. So that's when we came up with tamales way. You know, how do we break it down so that people understand it little by little? Because masa is the core of every tamale, right? But masa is not a flavor in any of the different dishes here. So what we did when we first opened was to have tamales went filled with um things that locals actually knew, so that step one was okay, understand the masa. And from there, if you like it, you can transition slowly to the real tamales, how we eat them.

Edit 16:33

Yeah, but please explain what what is tamales? What's the good tamales?

Adapting Authenticity For Singapore

SPEAKER_00 16:38

Yes. Okay, tamales. Tamal comes from the word nahuatl, which means wrapped. It's a very ancient Mesoamerican dish that when people were traveling, they were not settled yet. They used to wrap in banana leaves, so they would nix tamalize corn. They use cornfield and they put it in an alkaline solution, and then they um treat it with limestone to bring out all the minerals and the properties from the corn. That they realized was very nutritious and very delicious. And if they wrapped it in banana leaf, it could last for very long. So back in the days, they could use flamenco and very exotic meats in the tamales. Obviously, as tamales uh evolved, um, there's now more um meats that people are familiar with, like chicken and beef and pork. But yeah, in the past it was an offering for the gods. So it started as a very um ceremonial dish, but people loved it. So then it became the food for everybody, not just for the gods. And nowadays you can find tamales in a corner, you know, being sold on a bike on a little tamalera, but you can also find them in high-end restaurants. So it is a very versatile dish. However, tamales are normally served, just you buy them, you get them either in the corn husk or the banana leaves. So if we wanted to make them attractive enough for people to want to try them and even make it Instagrammable, that's when we needed to get creative.

Edit 18:17

And how did you make it creative and Singaporeanized, the tamales, so to say?

SPEAKER_00 18:22

So, you know, it's not always easy to move from authentic to business. To stay authentic at the same time, but staying authentic at the same time, but also make it palatable. Because we had times where we put the tamales with the corn husk, and some people would try to eat the corn husk. So we have to explain. Um, and then also the corn husk, when we import them, there's no standard size. So sometimes some tamales will be very little or medium or big. So in a restaurant, there's no way to justify why I'm selling you at the same price a different size tamales. So we needed to get creative to be able to standardize the sizes as much as possible. Obviously, they're still handmade, so they won't be the same. But as much as possible, they are similar in size, they are definitely the same in weight. So we wait all our tamales to make sure that everybody gets value for the money.

Edit 19:15

You said that um a couple of years ago when uh uh you were expecting uh your girl, your first daughter, right? My second one. Your second one. Your mom was here, and then you started preparing tamales at home. But then, how it became uh a business, how you opened your restaurant, and what motivated you?

From Collaboration To Commitment

Loss, Quitting Corporate, And A Bet On Self

Finding A Bigger Kitchen And New Partners

Brand Birth: Mommy’s Tamales

SPEAKER_00 19:39

I think though there are different time frames for this. The first instance was when my husband first visited Mexico. He tried tamales for the first time. He was like, oh my god, this is so good. How come I've never eaten tamales anywhere else outside of Mexico? That's when we thought, oh, we should bring this to Singapore. Then after that, when I first came to Singapore, we actually tried making tamales, but we failed miserably because obviously we don't find the same ingredients. So our first tamales were like rocks. So then, of course, I had to call my mom and my grandma and say, okay, what can I substitute this with this until we tried and tried and tried. And I'm married to a Malay. So another big part of the puzzle for us when we started was how do we make tamales accessible to everybody, even if the tamales are halal. So we started tweaking the recipes and testing with Mexicans as well to make sure that the flavor remains the same, regardless of if you change anything within your formula. And um, so it was a lot of experimentation. And one time in 2023, I believe, we did a collaboration for the Tequila and Mescal Week with a pub in Kyongsek. And I remember that the owners really liked the food, and they were like, why don't you just do this full time? And then, of course, everybody has heard that if I'm being Singapore, it's no joke, it's easy, it's not easy to find people. And so I was telling him all my doubts, and then he was like, Yeah, but you have a really good product. You know, why don't you take this space for lunch? Because we only are able to do this after working out, where they were also having a corporate job. So they were like, if you won, we just do profit sharing and you can sell the tamales and at least you test the concept out. But I thought, okay, that's actually not a bad idea. The idea was already planted, I was still having my job. And then I think that what really pushed me was that in 2020 I lost my mom to COVID. When she started being sick, I was like, okay, is it serious? Shall I fly back? And it was very fast. She left Singapore on the 10th, no, 15th, she passed away on the 30th. So then on 2024, my dad was sick. And uh, 2023, sorry. And so I asked my co- Company where I was working. Like, is it okay if I go for a month and then I take some time off to be there with my family? And then I can work from there after that. But of course, we had a lot of projects. You know, in corporate, you also have to fulfill the deadlines. And I had a high position and a team to manage. So that was not really available at the moment. So I was really thinking, okay, what do I do? What do I do? Do I go there and work when I know that it takes me 36 hours door to door to be there? And it's not that I go every day. So I didn't want to risk it. So I decided to quit. I quit, I went to see my dad. And then I was already thinking, okay, so what's next? Either I go back to corporate, I had a few offers, or I actually try it out. I mean, profit sharing is not as scary as having your own shop. After thinking a lot about it, I decided to, okay, what's the worst that can happen? If it doesn't work out, I can always go back to corporate or figure it out. So I came back to Singapore and I told my now business partners that I was willing to try during lunch. But soon we realized that the place where we were was built as a bar, not as a restaurant. And we didn't really have a big kitchen. We have very little fridge space. So we were selling out really fast. And I knew there was a case for us to continue building this. I was just wondering how or what next. So we started searching for new places to move, a place where we had a bigger kitchen. And we were actually in the midst of confirming one when one day, so Mauricio, the owner of Papi Stacos, used to be a client of us. And when we opened where we were, there's an outlet for papistacos very nearby. So we used to come and eat tamales very often. And I remember that at the time when we were already looking for new shops, he calls me, like, Why are you close? I'm here to eat tamales. And I'm like, Oh, sorry, you know, like come tomorrow. And then the next day he went and he's like, Why didn't you open yesterday? I wanted my tamales. So I explained. We were searching for a bigger space. And he was like, Oh, okay, interesting. I actually have a bar in the same street, first floor, with a big kitchen. And why don't you come and take a look at it? And I was like, okay, what do you have in mind? He was like, Okay, just come and take a look at it. And I went. So that's the space where now is my Mr. Males. It used to be a bar called Pallets. After looking at it, I realized, okay, this the kitchen was a lot bigger than what we had. So we started talking. And of course, he was like, okay, you can either rent it from me because the rent is very good, or why don't we do something together? Because I like your concept and I am searching for a new concept. So we started discussing, you know, like it was back and forth. And of course, one of the considerations was that we started a sahalal business. But as a business owner running restaurants, Mauricio knew that we needed to tap into the whole of Singapore to increase the chances of success, which meant that we needed to sell pork and alcohol. So that was the first question. Are we willing to do that? Are we still being able to be faithful to those clients that have been supporting us all along, right? So we decided to keep the home-based business tamales mexicanos and then give it a shot with a new brand. And we kept on thinking, okay, what will the brand be? How do we call it? And then one day I was like, hey, you're papi. Why am I not? Why am I not mommy's tamales? And you know, papi's tacos, mommy's tamales. Anyways, I started this with my mom. She's no longer around. I think it'll be very meaningful. So why don't we do that? And he loved it as well. So I remember we were sitting at Papi Stacos, and their slogan is Papi knows best. So me and my husband were like, yeah, but Mauricio, this one cannot, you know, mommy knows better. So we laughed so much, and then we were like, okay, that one stays as our slogan. So it started really as a way to honor my mother. And of course, I knew I had investment to continue the business, but I was actually searching for strategic partners. Because I had experience, of course, making tamales, but also in corporate, but not in F and B. So I wanted to have someone with the skills I lacked to increase our chances of success and also to learn what I didn't know. And that's how it happened.

Edit 26:18

But you put a lot of effort in it, a lot of working hours, especially at the start, at the beginning. Yes. Uh, how could you manage with this whole um business model starting and also uh your family at the same time?

SPEAKER_00 26:34

Yeah, I think that you really need to have a very supportive family and understanding partner.

Edit 26:39

Okay, supporting family, but you had very little daughters at that time.

SPEAKER_00 26:43

Yes, my kids were very young. And actually, that was my biggest consideration. For a while before I actually confirmed the deal with Papistacos, I was thinking, like, okay, you know, all along, something that corporate life has given me is the fact that I can have schedules where I can finish work and pick up my kids and have the weekends off. Am I willing to give that up? So I remember I was with one of my coaches back then. And I was telling her, yeah, but then my kids and how am I gonna manage? And then she asked me this question. She said, Okay, do you tell your kids that they can do everything they they wish to achieve? I'm like, Yeah, I always tell them they can dream and be whatever they want. And then she asked me, like, how can you actually teach them that if you're not doing it for yourself? And I was like, oh my God, this is true. Really true.

Edit 27:31

Absolutely true.

Family Tradeoffs And Modeling Courage

SPEAKER_00 27:32

Then I was like sitting, really like thinking through it, and I was like, oh, this actually makes so much sense. Am I willing to actually just tell them what to do or show them how to do it? What if it doesn't work? Am I willing to fail publicly? Because, you know, when you have a business, that's what happens, right? If either you succeed or you fail. But I was thinking, okay, failing is it's just how you define it. If you don't try, that's also failing, right? So, okay, let's try this out. And of course, when I opened my my daughters, were the first one. We don't like your new boss. She makes you work so much. Can you please change your boss? And I'm like, how do I tell them I have the new boss? So I just was slowly teaching them, yeah, if you want a dream, you need to work for it. And sometimes being a boss means you need to be the one working the hardest for it. And that's it.

Edit 28:23

And and you're also your husband was also involved uh in this business, especially at the start.

Operations, Shortages, And Learning Fast

SPEAKER_00 28:29

He was pretty much involved in helping me build Tamales Mexicanos. You know, we had a Mexican full of passion and feeling, and we have a Singaporean that brings in the systems. And no, no, no, you cannot just feel, you need to ensure that every experience is consistent for the client. So I think we were a very good match in that sense. And uh I think he was also the one who really pushed me to dare to do it because I was like, but I have all these good offers, like, you know, it's also not bad, our kids are young. Why don't I just stay for a bit longer? It's it might not be the right time, we might not have enough savings, are you sure? So it was like, it's not now when the opportunity is there now, so just go for it. And I was like, okay, let's do it. So in the beginning, he was the one handling the home-based business, and then we were just like taking turns. Whenever I was at mommy's, I was fully at mommy's, sometimes 60 hours a week, which was really very crazy. And when I closed on Mondays, then I will exchange, I will go take care of the kids, and then my husband will go and help me top up with um more tamales because it's handmade, so it really takes a lot of time. I remember having nightmares of not being able to make tamales as fast as people would eat the tamales. And um, in fact, the first time ever where we run out of one flavor of tamales, I took it so personal. I was like, oh my god, we failed. And I remember my business partner Mauricio was laughing. He's like, things happen like this in restaurants, you know. You run out of it, you run out of it. It's okay. And I was like, oh, okay, yes, it's okay. But in the beginning, you know, like just knowing that um we didn't have enough of one flavor, I took it so personal. I was like, okay, this cannot happen again. How do we ensure we don't because you're a tamales restaurant, you cannot say we don't have tamales, right? So we slowly gather a good team that, of course, helps us make everything possible. And then my husband went back to his love, which is finance. Um he's now back in a corporate job, and I am ready with my team to run Mamis Tamales without him.

Edit 30:43

As I'm listening to you, uh, it came to my mind that uh I think the secret spice of uh Mamis Tamales is your passion. Is it true?

Purpose Beyond Passion

SPEAKER_00 30:54

I think more than passion, it should be my purpose. I think passion some days runs slow, you know? You can be very passionate about food, you can be very passionate about introducing Mexican, but there are days when for the business you have to do things you're not passionate about, like admin or like dealing with a complaint when you just hire a new intern, you know, like it's days where passion cannot do the job. So you need to remember your why and the purpose of why you're doing what you're doing. And I think that for me is really introducing what Mexicans miss from home of authentic Mexican food here in Asia, from different regions, introducing astronomy the way in the past I felt Americans were leading the narrative of burritos, chimichangas, which are delicious. But for Mexicans, we miss pozole, we miss tamales, we miss moles, you know. So I felt that somebody had to do it to do the job. And for many years I kept on saying, somebody needs to do something about it, until I guess I was uncomfortable enough to say, okay, I better do something about it.

Edit 32:01

You are the one who does the job. What would your mom say?

SPEAKER_00 32:05

I think she'll be really proud. Yeah.

Edit 32:08

Definitely. What's the future of uh Mammy Stamales? Because uh the business has been growing since uh 2023. You started when you started. You also have some dreams to expand it in Southeast Asia.

Roots, Legacy, And Cravings Reignited

SPEAKER_00 32:23

So I think that's very interesting because what people see is 2023 onwards. But actually the business started from 2019 as a home-based business for five years and in the making for what became then Tamales Mexicanos, and now Mamis Tamales, which is the first ever tamaleria in Asia. So I always remember myself and our team, you know, like we're doing something big. This is something nobody ever has done. So we need to detach ourselves from outcomes, but just do every day. Make sure every day, every service, it's a great experience for our guests. I believe we're as good as our last service. You know, you can be great one year ago, but if you're not good now, that's it. So we have to focus on making sure that we keep on delighting guests to be able to grow. And the plans, what I would love to achieve is to see mommy's tamales in different parts of Asia. You know, Mammi Stamales Bangkok, Mammis Tamales Shanghai, Mammis Tamales Seoul. So of course I know we have a lot of work to do, but I think that I believe in the universe. When you know what you want, you don't have to worry about how it will, if it's meant for you, happen and unveil. So now I'm waiting, doing the job every day and then finding ways to make it happen.

Edit 33:40

I think the Mexican community, as you called it, as well, the Mexicans and also the Singaporeans, but any other people who are in this uh community on this island can be very grateful for you because I think your tamales brings people together. Did you think it, like, I don't know, 10 years ago, that might be such a business uh in your in your life after having kids, having a husband, a Singaporean husband?

SPEAKER_00 34:15

No, I think the whole Singaporean experience has been full of surprises, starting from marrying my husband. But I am very grateful for it.

Edit 34:24

But this means that uh all this environment inspired you somehow how you are and where you are today?

Kids In The Kitchen

SPEAKER_00 34:32

For sure. I think that everything starts with a need, right? My need to satisfy my craving and also to honor the people that was behind. Because I remember that my mom was a single mother. So she had a full-time job, but on the weekends she sold tamales with my grandma. So, you know, I tend to say I helped, but I believe I mostly helped eating the tamales at the shop. And then that that started the love for tamales because I saw my family making delicious tamales, and of course I loved eating them. So I guess that's why when I was pregnant, I went back to those moments and I was like, okay, I miss those tamales. So if not for my grandma or my mom that were always really close to bringing the best tamales to Mexico, maybe I wouldn't be here.

Edit 35:20

How do your uh daughters feel themselves in the kitchen? Are they comfortable with uh preparing tamales?

SPEAKER_00 35:27

Oh my god, it's so cute. Yeah, they love to help. Since we started, you know, they saw me and my husband uh putting like the hairnet when we were doing tamales, so they asked for their own hairnet and their globes and you know, the tiny hands. Even the extra small globe cannot fit it. And then, but they they just want to help. So now when my daughters come to mommy's tamales, they enjoy like me eating, but they always ask me, Mommy, I want to start helping making tamales. Of course, I don't let them yet, they only help at home. But they, my my little one always tells me, Mommy, I want to come and make 100 tamales. So she's they're very sweet. I think that seeing how um we have always loved kitchen and cooking, and now with mommies, they're also very inspired. They like to do their own breakfast, they like to surprise us with whatever they can make. But yeah, my little one says she wants to be a chef. Let's see. I'm sure kids will change thousands of times before deciding, but yeah, they they love it.

Building Community Through Events

Edit 36:26

Yeah, it's interesting because I think it's not only about eating and having some nice food, some nice uh Mexican food, but it also brings uh family, friends together at one table, right? So I think the main purpose of your whole tamales business is to get people together somehow.

SPEAKER_00 36:47

Absolutely. And that's also what I believe at the restaurant. We're not just about Mexican food, we're about community. So we have a few events that have become signature at Mami's Tamales. So on the last Tuesdays of every month, we have an event called Launch and Learn, where we invite different entrepreneurs to share about their journey, to share about what they've learned, their failures as well. Because we learn as much from success as well as from failure. Every whenever we're failing, it means we're on the way to success. We shouldn't be afraid of failing, actually. We should embrace it. It means we're trying. If you're not trying anything, you're not either failing nor succeeding. So it's better to try. Um, so on top of launch and learn, which not only um founders come, they also, there's also people that are aspiring entrepreneurs or just people that come to network. It's just very exciting to see some of them doing business together, some of them getting businesses because of Mamistamales. We also have Spanish o'clock on the second Wednesday of every month. So people that is learning Spanish or that know Spanish or Latinos that are new to Singapore and just want to make friends by sharing the language, they come. And so slowly we see the different communities being formed and supporting each other. Like that, we have trivia nights, we have singles events now, because so many people came to us saying, like, oh, you know, I'm so tired of swiping right, swiping left, and then you have to chat, and then it's not the same photo as how the person looks. So we want a platform where we can meet in person. That's what inspired us to start with our singles, semaphoro nights. And it's just really nice to see that it's not just about food, it's about community, it's about trying to bring people what they want or give people what they want.

Edit 38:30

All right, thank you so much for coming. I really enjoyed the conversation and all your passion and spice you put in your business.

SPEAKER_00 38:37

Thank you so much for having me. Thank you. I know I found out today that you've been at Mammy's Tamales and thankfully you like this. Exactly. So call back again anytime. All right, thank you so much for the invitation.

Vision: Expanding Across Asia

Edit 38:48

Jugoverse fam, if Maribel's mashup of grief, grit, and gourmet inspired your next bold move. Share this episode like a hot demo, subscribe for more multicultural magic, and drop a review. What's your grief to gold story? Peel back the husks of life, embrace the fusion, and keep the steam rising. Keep laughing, keep juggling, and keep shining. Hasta la próxima.