Tom Tom Tamale & Bakery Company

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. It was an unusually cold morning in New Orleans when a delivery driver pulled up to Tom Tom Tamale & Bakery Company. The sun had barely peeked over the rooftops, and the streets were deserted except for a lone figure shuffling towards the bakery. As he approached the door, the delivery driver noticed an old man waving frantically from inside. ‘Hey,’ called out the man, ‘you forgot your hat!’ Turning around, the driver realized he’d left it on the truck. With a laugh, he walked back, only to find the entire bakery staff standing there, grinning and holding various hats—none of which matched his own. ‘Welcome to Tom Tom Tamale,’ said one of them with a twinkle in their eye, ‘we always make sure our customers are properly dressed.’

2. At dawn, a delivery driver pulled up outside Tom Tom Tamale & Bakery Company with a truckload of fresh pastries. As he unloaded, he noticed something odd on the bakery’s sign: ‘Today’s Special—Free Pastries if You Can Balance This Cake Stand.’ Smiling, our delivery driver decided to give it a try. After several attempts and much laughter from his colleagues watching from behind the fence, he managed to balance the cake stand just as the sun rose over the bakery. A regular customer who happened to be passing by whistled in admiration, saying, 'Looks like today is your lucky day!' And indeed it was—they both walked away with free pastries and a story to tell their grandkids.

3. At dawn, a delivery driver pulled up outside Tom Tom Tamale & Bakery Company. ‘Finally,’ he groaned, ‘someone’s open early!’ But as he reached for the door handle, it started to sing: “Tamales are our thing…” He jumped back, startled, and then burst out laughing. The song grew louder and more cheerful, making him smile despite himself. Just as he opened the door, an old lady poked her head out from behind the counter and chirped: 'Morning! Welcome to our little place!' The driver blinked, confused, but then realized she was singing along with the tamale jingle. 'Guess I’m not too early after all,' he grinned, stepping inside.

4. At dawn, a delivery driver pulled up outside Tom Tom Tamale & Bakery Company. The air was crisp and quiet as he stepped out of his truck. Suddenly, over the tannoy came a voice: ‘Attention, everyone! We’ve run out of tamales—please do not panic!’ As the driver looked around, a neighbor popped his head out of the door across the street and asked, 'Got any bread?' With a straight face, the driver replied, 'Not today, sir. We're all out.' A smile spread across the neighbor's face—he knew exactly what to do next. By lunchtime, Tom Tom had reopened with a fresh batch of both tamales and baked goods.