When Alta Collins was growing up on Tucson's east side, tamales were one of her least favorite foods.
Then the former Santa Rita High School president got married and became a Hernandez.
Along the way she became a fan of tamales.
In fact, you could call her a tamal-making queen.
Last December, Hernandez, who operates a small catering business, entered Casino del Sol's Fifth Annual Tamal & Heritage Festival contest. It was her first foray into the chest-thumping world of tamal makers, all of whom believe their tamales are tops.
She didn't know what to expect when she entered her tamales in the gourmet category - everything but traditional green corn and red chile meat.
Hernandez, who loves to experiment with recipes, entered a new concoction - chocolate turtle cheesecake tamales.
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Don't scoff, tamal traditionalists. The judges didn't.
Their sweet taste buds talked to them loud enough that they awarded Hernandez first place in her category. But if that wasn't enough, she won second place with her chocolate strawberry cheesecake tamales under a pseudonym - Debbie Clemens.
"Chocolate masa isn't for everyone," she acknowledged, "but it's very chocolatey."
There are those who may insist that cheesecake tamales are blasphemy. But Hernandez doesn't need to defend her gastronomic invention.
At the festival she sold all 250 dozen of her cheesecake creations and took orders for another 150 dozen.
She remembered the day before the festival was crazy. "We were steaming tamales all day and night," said Hernandez.
As with most families who make tamales at home, Hernandez had help. Her husband of 16 years, Ray Hernandez, who works at Raytheon, pitched in, as did their three children and her brother, who - like Hernandez - still lives in the east-side neighborhood near East Golf Links and South Harrison Road where they grew up.
"My kids are great tamal makers," Hernandez said.
Unlike some tamal-making families, Hernandez uses store-bought masa and avoids husking the corn. Ironically she's allergic to corn silk.
Hernandez overcame her dislike of tamales after tasting the ones her mother-in-law in California made. In turn, Hernandez learned to make tamales and after a while started to give them away. It didn't take her long to discover something special about her tamales: People liked them.
Over the years she tweaked recipes for traditional red, green corn, sweet and other kinds of tamales. She was perfecting her tamal treats. Her husband suggested she could put anything in a tamal.
So last year, a friend who knew about the Casino del Sol contest suggested Hernandez enter. Hernandez thought, what the heck.
Before entering, contestants must attend an informational session at Casino del Sol on West Valencia Road. Participants learn the rules and are given food-safety regulations. When Hernandez entered the class, she was the object of curiosity.
"I was the only Anglo woman in the food handlers' class," she said.
Regardless, she was confident her east-side tamales could compete with anyone else's.
"I knew those chocolate tamales were very, very unique. I felt ours were the most creative," Hernandez said.
For the next Casino del Sol Tamal & Heritage Festival on Dec. 4, Hernandez is contemplating her entry. She has to defend her title out of pride.
She just won't say what she'll create.
But she does say what's her favorite dish to make.
Shredded-beef tacos.
"That's the way to go."
Ernesto Portillo Jr. is editor of La Estrella de Tucsón. He can be reached at netopjr@azstarnet.com or 573-4187.
