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Our Story

The Tamale Place is proudly owned by Angela Green and husband Vladimir Ronces, along with Angela’s mother, Leora Green. We strive to keep up withthe demand of tamales in Indianapolis and our journey began in 1999 when Angela packed a backpack and ventured solo into Mexico. A couple of months into her trip she happened upon a quaint little restaurant/bar on Condesa Beach in Acapulco. It was there that she met her future husband, Vladimir (yes, he’s Mexican with a Russian name).

In 2003, the threesome opened what was originally named, “Tortilleria Angelita” which sold only their home-made white corn tortillas. They anticipated the local Hispanic community would buy fresh tortillas daily just as they do in Mexico. They learned quickly that the tortilla business was lost in translation between Mexico and the United States.

They worked hard and struggled for several months but some customers began asking about good tamales. It turns out that Indianapolis did not offer quality tamales and “Tortilleria Angelita” had the key ingredient for great tamales. That is…..masa (corn dough).

Spicy Chicken Taco with cheese, cilantro, onion, side salsita and lime

Vladimir called his family for some great recipes and they began experimenting. Angela had lots of experience cooking and loved it but in wrapping tamales – no experience, which is why their tamales are so big, ranging at a half-pound each. So now they are home to the half-pound tamales. Customers loved it and word spread rapidly. Customers started referring to the business as “The Tamale Place” and the name stuck. In spring 2014, “The Tamale Place” opened their third location, and they have no plans of stopping what they love to do and do so well. . . making great-tasting tamales!