This past pandemic year has been a year like none of us has ever experienced. It has left me battling feelings of isolation and bouts of depression—especially during these past dark winter months. That’s the bad news. Good news is Netflix, and a show I’m obsessed about called, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking, by James Beard award winning chef, Samin Nosrat. She takes lofty culinary concepts and breaks them down into easy to understand segments, sprinkled with her genuine joy, passion and laughter.

As an Angeleno, I take my Christmas Tamales seriously. VERY seriously. For many Latinos—and blended Angelenos such as myself—the Christmas Holiday Season is synonymous with tamales. And where to purchase them is a decision not to be taken lightly. Tamale is thought to come from the Aztecs' word for wrap or tamalli. More recently, the tamale’s t...