Tamale Tradition Continues After Dallas Factory Fire

Thousands of traditional Christmas tamales were delivered Tuesday at Luna’s restaurant after a June fire destroyed the 80 year-old Dallas company’s tortilla factory next door.

"It's been amazing," Fernando Luna said. "We started getting calls the first of November saying, 'Are you back in business? What's going on? What are we going to do about Christmas? What do we do about Tamales?'"

The family owned company set up a makeshift tamale factory in the restaurant to fill orders.

"I'm quite proud first of all, proud of our staff. They've rebounded so well under cramped quarters," Luna said.

Customers lined up as usual on Christmas Eve.

"They've done the best they can with what they have for the holiday season and it just makes even more of a blessing," customer Jerusha Cole said.

Luna's employees worked long hours to produce and sell around 1,200 dozen tamales each of the last five days before Christmas.

Customer Kryslys Burks said she called long ago to be sure she would get her’s.

"It would have been so sad. I don't know what we would have done. We probably would have found somewhere else to go but it wouldn't have been the same. This is tradition for my husband and I," she said.

Fernando Luna said he watched the June fire consume the factory in the 8500 block of Harry Hines Boulevard and wondered if it would be the end of his family's business but loyal employees and customers helped it survive.

"We're lucky to be in someone’s home on Christmas Eve being able to really partake in their dinner and be part of their family," Luna said.

In January, Luna's will open a new tortilla factory and restaurant near Northwest Highway and Stemmons Freeway.

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