Dora Ruiz: Owner of New Mexico Tamale Company

Tell me about yourself.

I was born and raised in the state of New Mexico, and 25 years ago, I moved to travel with the oil and gas industry as a cost engineer, and I realized the flavors I left behind … The first place I went was to Minnesota, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, the flavors are great. There’s a lot of nice Mexican restaurants, but not the same flavors from my state.’

New Mexico is the chili capital of the world for the Hatch chili. That Hatch chili gives the Mexican food a whole different level of flavor, right? But what I missed the most was tamales, because you couldn’t find them anywhere [in Minnesota] unless you knew somebody that knew somebody that was making them … In my state, there’s tamale shops everywhere. You can buy them 365 days a year. So I just continued to look for a New Mexican restaurant every state I went, and there was none. So I said, ‘One of these days when I get transferred to a nice location that’s rainy, lush, green, I’m going to do a good restaurant there.’ And sure enough, we’re transferred here to Ferndale, Birch Bay, and I opened a small shop in Ferndale in 2017. 

… We’re blessed to have a lot of people coming in [to our Meridian Street location but] we still struggle,  just like any small business.  

There’s a framed picture near the door of the restaurant. Is that your mom?

That’s my mom. I’m the youngest of three and I lost her 28 years ago … But I did lose her to a battle with diabetes. I knew that when I recreated her recipes and her flavors, I wanted to do them in a healthy way. We are a lard-free facility, and I make sure that I have 95% of my menu available in vegan and vegetarian. We’re very respectful to gluten-free, celiac. That’s important. I just didn’t want any of them to be deprived of her flavors.  

What do you enjoy most about running a restaurant?

Just visiting with my customers, seeing them enjoying their food. There’s a lot of New Mexican transplants in the state … when they come in, they just roll their head back and say, ‘It takes me right back home, it takes me right back home.’

What do you like to do outside of work?

What I love to do, when I have a little bit of time, is cook those flavors that I don’t get to cook here, bake a few things. And get out and experience Washington.  

Do you have a favorite menu item here?

There’s so many, but I think the number one, as far as tamales, is the Hatch.