Alice of Santo Niño De Atocha Tortíllería
They say smell and taste are the two senses that evoke the strongest memories. For me, those memories taste like hot tamales, my Nana’s enchiladas, and my mom’s chili—the tastes of Christmas Eve for a family with deep Texas roots. The first time I bit into a corn tortilla from Santo Niño de Atocha Tortilleria, it was like coming home for the holidays. The taste of a memory is something Alice Salazar Heffernan, owner of Santo Niño de Atocha Tortíllería, has down. Though her recipe for tortillas is just three ingredients, it captures a flavor so authentic, it can transport you through time and space.
“The whole concept of a tortíllería came from the dream of my grandfather,” Alice’s daughter Carole began. Alice’s father, Luis Salazar, was a farm worker whose life’s dream was to open a tortíllería. He died when Alice was just 12. Since then, she always knew that if she ever got into a position where she could, she would open the tortíllería to honor him and everything he stood for. Carole shared, “He was firm believer you give back what you can, don’t take more than you need, and you share. That’s something that my mom has done her whole life.” She went on, “She’s not had an easy life, but she’ll give you the shirt off her back.”
After retiring from the printing business in Chicago and moving to Nashville, finally in the position to make her father’s dream come true, Alice announced, “This is it! We’re going to open up a tortilla business.” In her sixties, her husband and two daughters thought she was crazy. “We could tell you what a good tortilla tasted like, but we knew nothing about modernizing the production of a tortilla,” Carole said. With the help of her husband John, daughters Carole and Lillian, and sons-in-law Mark and Colby, a custom tortilla oven, and her father’s spirit, Alice’s business blossomed.
The process began by asking, “How do I give somebody what I remember tasting growing up?” Tortillas were a staple in the Heffernan household, eaten with every meal, though it wasn’t Alice who was doing the cooking. Carole shared, “My dad did all the cooking. My dad was Irish. He made some of the best Mexican food. My grandmother, I can remember making tamales at Christmas time, New Years, sometimes for some birthdays––but yeah my dad made some of the best salsa, so we used to carry his salsa when he was alive.”
Every product from Santo Niño de Atocha Tortíllería is made with great care. When I visited the tortíllería, Alice walked me through the whole process, from cooking the corn, to mixing the masa, to making the tortillas—each at different weights for tostadas, chips, and tortillas, so that you get the best experience. She strategically makes her corn tortillas so they hold just enough moisture so that they do not tear when you are rolling enchiladas. Alice shared her heart, “I want to make something that is good for the community.” And that means 3-ingredient tortillas made with salt, lime, and corn from family-owned W. F. Ware Company in Kentucky. It means providing a job to a stay-at-home mother. It means sharing family memories. It means extending her love to those around her. Carole said, “she speaks very little English, but she gets her message across and people love her, because she’s genuine. And it’s a genuine product.”
Around Christmas and New Years, customers who have moved to Tennessee from Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and other parts come from miles away, seeking that southwest taste of home. Carole sums up the love her family puts into the business well, “We love food. . . comfort, love, everything came in the shape of food for us. You know, memories are meals.”
You can find Alice at farmers markets around town and her tortillas and chips at Produce Place, Hendersonville Produce, and Turnip Truck. You can also order prepared masa for tamales and tortilla masa for tortillas at santostortillas.com. Or call 615-496-2792.
