Crowned in Delta fashion, this year’s Hot Tamale King and Queen are none other than Jack Jackson and Betty Lynn Cameron.
Greater Greenville Housing & Main Street CEO Daniel Boggs presented the esteemed honor Wednesday afternoon at the Washington County Economic Alliance in Downtown Greenville, but not before paying tribute to past kings and queens who were in attendance.
Upon presenting, Boggs shared the origin and tradition of selecting a king and queen. “It is somebody that has gone above and beyond giving back to this community and has been a great ambassador for this community,” he said.
The pair are not only hot tamale royalty, but good friends of more than 50 years. Both are Delta State University alumni whose reputations in volunteerism and service have preceded them.
Jackson said he was under the impression his meeting with Boggs and others involved with the festival some days ago was just a routine meeting about the coming events, as he is usually one of the bartenders for the Literary/Culinary Mash-Up Luncheon at E.E. Bass Cultural Arts Center.
“I said ‘Ok, let me get my notebook so I can write all this down,’” Jackson had said, not knowing that Boggs was about to share the news of him being selected Hot Tamale King for the 2019 festival, “I said, ‘Ok, you sure?’”
Jackson, with a demeanor of exuberance, talked about how fun of an event the festival is and how it promotes Greenville. “I would love 50,000 people to come. I don’t know where we’ll put them but we want them to come.” he jokingly said.
It seemed more than fitting for Cameron to be selected as the Hot Tamale Queen being she served as Greenville Main Street’s director for several years and in the economic development for the Chamber of Commerce.
“It’s a festival that we had in our hearts when it started,” she said.
Cameron spoke about how the festival brings people together in a way like no other and ended her speech saying, “You can’t say hot tamales without smiling.”
More significantly, she was one of the chief organizers of the festival and played an integral role in its inception as one of “The Three Hot Tamamas” — Cameron, Anne Martin and Valerie Lee Rankin.
The women reflected on how and when they first got the idea to organize the festival, which was one of vivid, yet delightful detail.
“We had a little group that would get together usually on Sunday afternoons at somebody’s house to do food, so we decided we were gonna do hot tamales and it was a beautiful October day. I had a backyard that would accommodate everybody and it grew to be about 20 of us,” Rankin said. “We did scores on the hot tamales and the man that won actually won at the first hot tamale festival. After everybody left, the three of us were sitting there and we looked at each other and we knew what each other was thinking.”
The ladies all agreed the City of Greenville needed a festival in honor of the spicy, delicious dish.
“So, we did it. We just decided we were gonna do it and the next year (2012) we had a festival,” Rankin said.
One may find it a bit unorthodox for any type of food festival to have an aspect of grandeur or splendor, but the Delta Hot Tamale Festival isn’t just “any type of food festival.”
After all, Greenville is not just the de facto Hot Tamale Capital of the World, it is officially registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
This year’s three-day event has gained a renown and acclaim over the years, so much so that people from all over the country travel in droves of thousands to attend.
This year, the festival kicks off 6 p.m. Oct. 17 at Belmont Plantation for the Literary/Culinary Mash-Up Welcome Dinner. The evening entails the company of a stellar lineup of authors, artists, and chefs who will also be on hand to sell and sign their books while guests enjoy great music, hors d’oeuvres, and libations. A sit down, three-course plated Italian Farm-to-Table Supper on Belmont’s gorgeous grounds will follow shortly after.
This year, an amazing team of chefs is made up of multiple New Orleans restaurant stars, including: Stephen Stryjewski of the Link Restaurant Group, Jason Goodenough of Carrollton Market, and Rebecca Wilcomb of Gianna. They will be joined by the Delta’s own Cole Ellis of Delta Meat Market fame and Hugh Balthrop of Sweet Magnolia Gelato, among other culinary stars.
Attendees can look forward to a brief live auction, after-dinner dancing, and lots of Delta-style fun.
Tickets for the event cost $185 and can be purchased online at mainstreetgreenville.com.
From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. the next day, Oct. 18, is the Literary/Culinary Mash-Up Panel Discussion and Luncheon being held at the Jake and Freda Stein Hall, E. E. Bass Auditorium.
This event consists of four panel discussions including author Roy Blount Jr., actress and photographer Jessica Lange, artists John Alexander and William Dunlap, and many more. Lunch will feature Delta tamales from last year’s grand champion and other festive treats. The panelists’ books, as well as signature Bloody Marys and Mint Juleps, will be on sale and the authors will be on hand for signings. Tickets for this event cost $60.
The festivities will conclude Oct. 19 with the always anticipated Flavors of the Festival, which is set to begin at 9 a.m. along Washington Avenue.
For $25, festival goers will have a chance to sample the different tamales on tap from former and present winners of the Frank Carlton Hot Tamale Cooking Contest along with a sampling of craft beer to compliment their tamale tasting. Three seating times for festival goers’ convenience are 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m. at The Leyser Gallery, 303 Washington Ave.
Festival goers can look forward to a myriad of hot tamale vendors as well as local arts and crafts vendors. In addition, there will be a wide variety live music and contests for kids adults — Hot Tamale Cooking Contest, Kids Art Contest, Celebrity Chef Competition, and Infinite Concepts Hot Tamale Eating Contest.
