Mama’s Merging Markets
We all love a great party. Wouldn't it be awesome if more parties popped up at businesses, community centers, neighborhoods, parks, on sidewalks, and in the streets? We're talking about the kind of parties where art, food, music, and fun blend together into a magical and transformative experience.
You might imagine that these kinds of parties only happen in movies. But with Mama's Merging Markets, they become a reality—not on Hollywood studio lots—but throughout Los Angeles County for real people like you and me.
"Sandi Romero's impact on creating and nurturing communities throughout Southern California cannot be measured, but it can be celebrated! Sandi brings her heart and soul into her work—from building community kitchens to spark innovation and small business, to spreading love and joy with her hand-made Tamales for community events. She touches everyone she meets with her passion for making the world a better place!"
— Anna Cummins, 5 Gyres: Science to Solutions
Mama and her team use delicious creative fusion tamales as the focus of their choreography, bringing together community groups and individuals to celebrate:
- Talents for
- Art
- Meals
- Artisans
- Labor
- Ecology and
- Song
Some of the markets Mama and her team establish are temporary and others become permanent locations for transformation in a community.
Who Is Mama?
Sandi “Mama” Romero has committed her life to her passion to help make the world a better place through her community work and cultural and culinary experiences.
Since the early 90s, she has worked with the City of Los Angeles to work on economic development projects and creating temporary and permanent markets to help transform businesses, community center, neighborhoods, parks, sidewalks and other public and private spaces into family fun and festive places where art, food, music and recreation blend together and create vital and vibrant social and educational experiences.
Such markets often involve tamales which are rich in history and bringing families and neighborhoods together for festive occasions. She works closely with communities throughout Southern California to establish shared kitchens and teaches small business training classes as well as cooking classes.
She was recently selected as a culinary cultural treasure for the City of Los Angeles for her work promoting and preserving cultural traditions through the arts, food and music.
Are you interested in transforming a place or space into an event where tamales blend with art and music to create vital and vibrant social and educational experiences for all ages?
We would love to make that happen. Send us a message.