Stewart’s Quick Mart

301 Delta Street
Cleveland, MS 38732
(662) 846-8869

Robert Stewart, owner of Stewart’s Quick Mart in Cleveland, Mississippi, has been making and selling hot tamales since 1992. But he has been eating them since he was a kid. Robert’s grandmother, Lela Mae Killen, from New Orleans, had a tamale recipe of her own. She made them for her family to eat and put them up in jars to stock her pantry. When Robert was looking for a way to put a little extra money in his pocket, he turned to his grandmother’s recipe. But he made it his own. Robert has crafted beef and chicken tamales, but he makes more turkey-filled hot tamales these days. Regardless of the filling, Robert says that the key to a good hot tamale is in the spice. He puts spices in the meal, the meat, and the water used for simmering. The result is a bright red hot tamale, one that his grandmother would be proud of.