Catherine Contreras grew up making tamales with her family during the holidays. When COVID-19 lockdowns hit and her five children—including her autistic daughter—were stuck at home, she wanted to recreate that feeling. But traditional tamalada prep wasn't going to work for kids who needed sensory-friendly ways to engage.
So she grabbed Play-Dough and a corn husk. Her daughter shaped the dough. Something clicked.
"When we were in lockdown, we were having virtual tamaladas with my family," Contreras told San Antonio Magazine. "I thought we could take some Play-Dough and get a husk and let them play that way."
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Start Your News DetoxThat moment in her kitchen became Fresh Masa, a business she started with her mother Marie Bauml, a retired school teacher. The idea was simple but specific: sensory-friendly play kits that let kids experience their culture hands-on. Each kit comes with Play-Doh and wooden tools designed for small hands to spread, shape, and build. The themes are rooted in Latinx food traditions—"Tiny Tamalada," "Teeny Taco," "My Favorite Panadería." Kids get the tactile satisfaction of working with the dough while learning about their heritage.
"What began as a simple way to support my daughter's sensory needs quickly turned into a full-blown love letter to our cultura," Contreras writes on the Fresh Masa website.
The business is still operating at a grassroots level—mostly self-funded, selling through their independent website and popping up in local toy stores and markets around San Antonio. That means Contreras is doing the work herself: the hustle, the pop-ups, the daily push to be noticed. But there's something intentional about that approach. She's building something that reflects her values, not chasing venture capital or mass production.
What makes Fresh Masa different isn't just the product. It's the recognition that sensory play—something many autistic and neurodivergent kids need—doesn't have to be disconnected from cultural identity. You can honor your family's traditions and meet your child's sensory needs. You don't have to choose between them.
For Contreras, that's the whole point. "As an autism mom, we do so much that involves sensory things, like Play-Doh," she told San Antonio Magazine. "I thought, 'Let's bring this to everybody.'"
She did. And it started with one locked-down afternoon and a daughter who wanted to make tamales.
