La Gran Tamalada, a two-day festival, brought together tourists and locals in San Antonio this year to celebrate the love behind cooking and eating Tamales.

The holiday tradition took a new twist this year, with seven high school teams competing in a cook-off.

“My grandpa had this business with his mom since the ’90s,” said Xavier Chavez. “So this has been a family business for many years, and we still continue to do it.”

Chavez helps his family run their tamale business and said crowds always ramp up during the holiday season. He said he’s happy to see the tradition and skill get so much attention during festivals such as the festival.

“They’ve always done this since I’ve known of,” he said. “Someday, I want to do it too.”

The festival featured local vendors, musicians, dancers, tama

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