When Shannon Jones Bowen committed to walk 60 miles and raise $2,300 for breast cancer research, she wasn’t thinking about her homemade tamales. A stroke of ingenuity and a social media post, however, turned one of the home cook’s specialties into an instant fundraising tool.

“I had no idea this thing would take off like it has,” Bowen said with modesty Saturday. She was at it again, making a second batch of 250-plus tamales to fill 40 or more preorders. The first batch sold out in little more than two hours a few days earlier, spawning a waiting list of customers. Each one is helping Bowen reach her fundraising goal for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day walk in Dallas, Texas, set for Nov. 3-5. It’s one of the breast cancer research and education organization’s major events held in cities nationwide. Bowen has every reason to want to pitch in: She is a survivor herself. In February, she was able to celebrate “graduation” from six-month medical follow-ups to yearly ones.

“I’m back in good enough health now that I can start giving back to breast cancer research,” she said.

A good cause

Aromas of savory meat and masa (a dough mix made from corn flour) filled Bowen’s kitchen as she set up for a session of tamale rolling Saturday. She had already spent a couple of days cooking three whole fryer chickens and two Boston butts. This gives her about 35 pounds of meat, enough to make 250 tamales. After cooking, the meat is deboned, shredded and seasoned.

“I let the meat sit up overnight for the flavors to meld,” Bowen explained.

She’s made so many tamales now that she considers the cooking the easy part; it’s the rolling that demands a certain amount of resolve and technique. For some reason, she has a hard time recruiting assistant rollers from among family ranks, she grinned.

Bowen spread a prepared corn husk on the counter. (Dried husks are soaked in water first.) After spooning on a portion of meat and then topping it with masa, she deftly rolled up one side of the husk, tucked in the end, rolled up the other side and tied the tamale off with a strip of husk. Then she settled in to do it 249 more times. Rolled tamales are then steamed for two hours. (Some cooks opt to use plantain leaves instead of husks. And for heat seekers, hot sauce can be added, the cook noted.)

Bowen has been documenting her process with photographs that might end up in an instructional booklet.

“I’ve had people reach out to me about doing a class,” she explained. “I’ve actually started looking into the logistics of doing that.”

Why tamales?

Bowen first tried her hand at tamales seven or so years ago, primarily because she couldn’t find any she really liked.

“They were either too bland or too saucy,” she said. “Somewhere I read an article that said if you can cook tamales you can cook about anything, so I thought, ‘OK, here’s my challenge.'” She was fairly pleased with the results. She took a few to soccer practice and gave some to teachers and friends.

“Every time she made them it spiraled,” said her husband, Clay, who has a chef background. “Everybody started asking when she was going to make more.” But, with a career, three active children to raise — and then a debilitating disease to battle — Bowen’s tamale-making was generally limited to once or twice a year. When time came to raise the $2,300 pledge for the walk, though, a light bulb went off.

“I thought, ‘I can sell some of these tamales!'” Bowen said.

The pickup point for the first batch last week was Smith Landscaping in Columbus, the business of Bowen’s in-laws, Alan and Susan Smith. One Facebook post and a couple of hours later, all the bags, six tamales in each, were gone, at $10 per bag. Her second batch went to Smith’s Monday and was also gone in short order. Every dollar goes toward Bowen’s Komen walk; she hopes to reach her goal by the end of May.

“I am committed to this,” she affirmed.

Clay is filled with admiration for his wife’s strength, determination and initiative.

“The cancer was a kick in the gut. It was a scary part of our lives, and she came out on top and always kept her head held high. She was so brave,” he said. “She’s stronger than me. And since then she’s been very involved in breast cancer awareness. I know she can do this.”

Shannon Bowen may need a break after turning out more than 500 tamales in a week. Her specialty may make another appearance at Smith Landscaping in the months ahead, but in the meantime, there is some physical training to get underway. Walking 60 miles in a three day period isn’t something to take lightly.

“But like I told my husband,” Bowen laughed, “at least me standing up doing all these tamales is getting me used to being on my feet all day.”

Editor’s note: Check facebook.com/shannon.jones.bowen for any updates on future availability of tamales. Donations to Bowen’s Komen walk may also be made there.

Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.

READER FAVORITES

• 

  From seed potato to supper

  By Ashlynd King • 16 hours ago