Thank you for helping us provide over 14 million meals to children in need.

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Thank you for helping us provide over 14 million meals to children in need.

Meet Tia Ana:
Master Tortilla Maker

Zamorano Valley, Honduras

Set off on the corner of the Good Shepherd Children's Home 70-acre campus sits a casita that is known as the Tortilla House. Here, maize and water are combined, formed into small balls, pressed thin, and cooked over a large wood-fired cast iron skillet. The result? 800 tortillas.

 

Tortillas are an important part of many Central American countries' culture and diet. In Honduras this is especially true. It is hard to walk into the Comida (dining hall) at Good Shepherd and not find a tortilla being used in some form or fashion. These round doughy corn flatbreads are the backbone of so many great dishes served at Good Shepherd and throughout Central America. From popusas, to tacos, to tostadas, to quesasadillas, the list goes on with dishes prepared using these simple tortillas.

Working in the tortilla house...

Adjacent to the tortilla house sits a large pile of wood that tia Anna uses to cook the tortillas. This is the base of every good tortilla made - heat - and lots of it! Though tortillas are an extremely simple food, about equal parts water to masa-harina (or corn flour), the process of making tortillas is not so simple. Learning to make great tortillas can take many attempts and lots of time to master. Tia Anna has had her fair-share of time and attempts during her time at Good Shepherd, and she makes tortillas with ease and grace now. The day starts by bringing in wood, lighting the fire, and letting it heat for the work ahead. Meanwhile, she sets to work; combining, kneading and, adjusting the corn and water mixture until it is just right - not too wet and sticky, but not too dry and crumbly. by now, the skillet is hot - so hot, just being near it will leave beads of sweat running down your face. Tia Anna works quietly, precisely forming golf-ball-sized balls of dough and pressing them thinly to the perfect thickness. If the tortilla is too thin it will break apart and too thick and it will not cook through. She places the tortillas on the cast iron skillet - up to 15 at a time -never neglecting one of them. Watching her work is like watching a perfectly choreographed

dance unfold - reaching across the work space for another pressed tortilla, adding it to the skillet, flipping this one, removing that one - it continues on for hours until the day's tortillas have been made. It is not an easy job. It is hot. It is mundane. It is smoky. Nonetheless, Tia Anna works tirelessly, day in and day out, making tortillas so that the 84 children of Good Shepard Children's Home can eat meals and grow strong. It is an act of love and she does it quietly, with a simple joy.

800 tortillas x 11 years x 365 days = 3,212,000 tortillas*

*not taking into account days not worked

800 tortillas x 11 years x 365 days = 3,212,000 tortillas*

*not taking into account days not worked

Tia Anna has worked at Good Shepherd for 11 years. She makes around 800 tortillas each day and is the only tia who makes tortillas. When she isn't making tortillas in the tortilla house, you can find her in the kitchen cooking beans (another staple in Honduras). When asked about her favorite part of working at Good Shepherd, she responded saying, "My favorite part of the home is the kids! I love getting to feed them!" Thanks to ladies like Tia Anna, your purchases don't just provide meals, but delicious meals!