Illinois Tamale Company (Chicago)
Not affiliated with Illinois Tamale Company.
THE QUICK READ
Illinois Tamale Company — known today as Iltaco Foods — has been making tamales in Chicago since 1927, when founder Elisha Shabaz started selling them to pushcart vendors downtown. The USDA-inspected plant processes beef, chicken, and pork into tamales and pizza puffs, a deep-fried stuffed pocket the company is credited with inventing in 1976. It is a small facility with around 100 workers, now run by the fourth generation of the Shabaz family. From this single Chicago plant, Iltaco ships its products to 38 states.
Sources (3)
JOBS HERE
No openings on file for this plant right now. Nearby plants that are hiring are listed further down.
PAY PICTURE
Ammonia / Industrial Refrigeration Tech
- Government data for Illinois
- $29.15–$42.45/hr
- What techs ask in Illinois
- $35.06–$46.22/hr
- Posted pay near this plant
- $30.85–$42.66/hr
BLS OEWS, May 2025 · 12 techs in our network, Illinois · 16 postings
Industrial Maintenance Tech
- Government data for Illinois
- $25.34–$36.59/hr
- What techs ask in Illinois
- $30.64–$39.95/hr
- Posted pay near this plant
- $28.43–$38.92/hr
BLS OEWS, May 2025 · 35 techs in our network, Illinois · 59 postings
Area pay for these roles, not this plant’s pay. Rows we cannot back with data are left out.
ABOUT THIS FACILITY
- Reported employees
- ~100
- Products
- beef, chicken, not-ready-to-eat, pork, processing
- Size
- Small
On file · Sep 2026
LIVING IN CHICAGO, IL
NEARBY PLANTS HIRING
Data updated: Sep 2026| FACILITY | LOCATION | DISTANCE | OPEN JOBS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc. | Toluca, IL | 99 mi | 3 JOBS → |
| Tyson Foods | Logansport, IN | 111 mi | 1 JOB → |
| Smithfield Packaged Meats Corp. | Peru, IN | 125 mi | 2 JOBS → |
| The Kraft Heinz Company | Champaign, IL | 131 mi | 3 JOBS → |
| Archer Daniels Midland Company | Decatur, IL | 158 mi | 30 JOBS → |
| Smithfield Fresh Meats Corp. | Monmouth, IL | 167 mi | 6 JOBS → |
| Kroger Limited Partnership II | Indianapolis, IN | 177 mi | 4 JOBS → |
| Smithfield Packaged Meats Corp. | Greenfield, IN | 177 mi | 2 JOBS → |
ABOUT ILLINOIS TAMALE COMPANY
Illinois Tamale Company is a food processing operation based in Chicago, IL, specializing in beef, chicken, and pork tamale production. The company operates a single small facility in Chicago with approximately 100 employees and focuses on not-ready-to-eat product manufacturing.
LINKS
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This page is built from public sources — government filings (EPA RMP), public job postings, and publicly listed company information. NH3 Jobs is not affiliated with or endorsed by Illinois Tamale Company. Figures are shown as filed with their source and date; we add no opinions, grades, or rankings. Last checked September 8, 2026.