The first annual Turlock Tamale Festival was a resounding success, according to festival host and Turlock Poker Room owner Joe Fernandez.

More than 5.900 people flocked to the Regal Cinema Shopping Center to partake in the traditional Mesoamerican dish made of masa and steamed in corn husks or banana leaves. In fact, the festival was so popular that all the tamale vendors sold out, said Fernandez.

All proceeds from the event will benefit the Veterans of Foreign War Post 5059 in Turlock, which was recently the victim of a burglary.