On a recent summer day in San Francisco, the Tamale Lady celebrated her 57th birthday at Zeitgeist bar.

For the past 17 years, the Patron Saint of the Tamale - otherwise known as Virginia Ramos - has peddled her homemade tamales and motherly advice late into the night at bars in the Mission and South of Market.

A rockumentary, "Our Lady of Tamale," has been made about her, not to mention a 50-song tribute CD. "I (Heart) The Tamale Lady" stickers adorn Critical Mass bikes and dive bars throughout the city.

What gave you the idea to start selling tamales? I needed to put seven kids through college, and I wasn't making enough cleaning houses.

Was the extra income enough?

Five went to college, and one is in the military, so I did all right.

How did you learn to make tamales?

The church ladies in my little Mexican town, in Nayarit.

How did you get to San Francisco?

I had a hard life, no parents to buy me food or anything. I married at 14 because I had no place to go. Then he started with alcohol, so my brother helped me move to California. I worked cleaning houses until one by one I could bring my kids here.

How has your life changed since you've been in the newspaper and a film?

People give me a lot of congratulations, and companies like Dolby and Lucasfilm ask me to bring tamales.

Is it still a surprise when you show up in a bar, or can people follow you on Twitter now?

I am all kind of places on the Internet. Face ... Face ... what's that Face thing? I don't know it, but my son put me on there, yeah. He does the Twitter, too.

Have you expanded your menu?

I still make chicken mole, pork, and vegetable, but I added bean and sweet potato, and bell pepper with cheese. Chicken mole is still the best seller.

How many do you sell?

I get up early in the morning, and make 100. I have a couple helpers. I clean houses, then take a nap and start selling at 6 p.m. until the bars close.

Do you ever get any free time?

If I do, I like to go to church. To thank God. I go to St. Charles or St. Peter's. I have saints at home, I do a little Santeria.

Do you have a pet?

Josephine. She's a Lab mix/pit bull whatever.

Where do you live?

In the Mission, honey!

What would you buy if you could?

Maybe one day I will get enough money to open my own place. Everybody could come in and I could join them in one place. I could hug my people and make sure they don't go to sleep hungry. And tell them not to break themselves doing drugs.