Boys Town Texas

Janet Pedrotti, Boys Town Texas Volunteer Coordinator; Connie Nieto and Albert Sanchez, SAM’s Club volunteers; and Consuelo Tinajero, former teacher, shared tortilla traditions and laughter with the children.

Tortillas Take On a New Shape

On May 30, three volunteers came to the Boys Town Texas to teach a new generation an old trick - making flour tortillas from scratch. 

Consuelo Tinajero, a former teacher and volunteer, informed the youth that she doesn’t use “mixes” or “measuring devises” to create her tortillas, but instead relies on a long family tradition and the guidance she received while learning as a child.  Tinajero poured ingredients in a bowl and informed all her mixture would make 30 tortillas.  All were skeptical, but sure enough, the 30 little balls of dough appeared exact.

Grady Morris, Boys Town Texas youth care worker, helps the boys roll out their tortillas.  The children enjoyed learning the new skill, as well as guessing what shape their tortillas most resembled.

In teaching the children her secrets to making tortillas, Tinajero paraphrased an old Chinese proverb:  “Tell me how, and I’ll probably forget; show me how, and I might remember; but let me do it, and I’ll learn.”   

Some of the kids had seen family members make tortillas and took right to it, while others laughed at how their tortillas looked like different states – Florida came up quite often.  Two girls who call the shelter home reminisced about making tortillas as little girls.

Connie Nieto and Albert Sanchez, volunteers from SAM’s Club who also made tortillas and organized the event, said their goal was to involve all of the children and staff from the shelter.  The day was an enormous success.