Texas Sisters Launch Children’s Book Sharing Latinx Comida, Cultura, and Familia with the Magic of NESTLÉ® ABUELITA™

Provided by Mexi-Modern LLC

Latinx sisters, Chef Cariño and Paloma Cortez, launch “Camilla la Magica Makes Tamales,” and announce a festive collaboration with NESTLÉ® ABUELITA™.

“Camilla la Magica Makes Tamales,” illustrated by native Texan Christopher Vela, tells the story of a young magician, Camilla, and her pup Osito, helping Abuela make magical tamales. Carefully following each of her Abuela’s steps, Camilla learns the true magic behind her family’s traditional tamales and the generations of love passed down in each bite. The book includes kid-friendly recipes for families to make together. (https://www.camillalamagica.com)

Acknowledging those traditions, NESTLÉ® ABUELITA™, the number one Mexican Hot Chocolate drink, collaborated with the Cortez sisters to help keep their culture alive through everyday moments. NESTLÉ® ABUELITA™ recipes can be found in “Camilla la Magica Makes Tamales” and there will be a giveaway at The Gran Tamalada holiday activation in San Antonio, Texas on December 11, 2021.
“According to the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, only five percent of books published for young readers are by or about Latinx people. I approached my sister, Paloma, with the idea to write a kids book for Latinx families to become reintroduced to the tamalada tradition in a fun and messy way at home,” said Chef Cariño.

“We wanted to share how our food can be a way to remember loved ones and bring people together. It’s something we learned from our father and hope to carry down to our children,” said Paloma Cortez.

Chef Cariño and Paloma Cortez are third-generation foodies who grew up designing the art of Tex-Mex cuisine and traditions in the Cortez family restaurant dynasty in San Antonio, Texas.

Chef Cariño Cortez pursued a culinary arts degree from the Culinary Institute of America before returning home to Texas as the Project Manager with La Familia Cortez Restaurants; she manages menu development, marketing, and the company’s new packaged foods sold at HEB.

Paloma Cortez is a Senior Designer and Art Director with a tenured history of working in corporate design and advertising. She co-founded San Antonio’s creative studio, Wide Awake.