Established in 2005 we are an independent family owned coffee house and empanada cafe´ with eight years of experience in the production, distribution and retail of empanadas. Our philosophy is to make this extraordinary pastry the preferred snack or meal of the food industry and our goal is to provide the highest quality product. We make every effort to serve all our guests with fast and friendly service with our many varieties of empanadas, to our full assortment of products there is always something to please every taste. We would love for you to stop on by and come see what we are all about. Hope to see you soon!
I remember my passion for cooking started at a young age when my Mother taught my sisters and me how to make traditional Peruvian dishes. By the time I was a teenager, I knew my way around a kitchen. When I first came to the United States, I worked in many restaurants, learning how to prepare different cuisines. I had the opportunity to learn Mexican Italian, Japanese, French and many more other styles of cuisine.
Naturally quick in preparation empanadas are far from traditional fast food. Enjoyed under a multitude of names, empanadas are one of the world’s most popular cuisines.
The empanada goes far back in history and may have originated in the Middle East, but they were carried throughout the world by travelers and traders.
The first references seem to be centered around Persia many centuries before Christ. From there it was probable that it migrated into Arabia with the traditional “fatay” or “esfiha”, made with meat and corn, very similar to the more modern empanada. Later, the occupation of Spain by the Muslims provided a path to the Spanish culture. It was then safe to assume the conquerors, traders and colonizers brought them to the Americas.
Though they are commonly found in all continents, there are many types of “empanadas” in the different countries around the world; an empanada is essentially a stuffed pastry. The name comes from the Spanish verb empanar, meaning to wrap or coat in bread. Usually the empanada is made by folding a thin circular-shaped dough patty over the stuffing, creating its typical semicircular shape. Empanadas are also known by a wide variety of regional names like calzone, somosa, simbusak, pasty, turover, fatay, esfiha, etc. Some of the countries that have empanadas as part of their cuisine are, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Puerto Rico, United States, Uruguay, Spain, Venezuela, and many others, each one with their own varieties, flavors and cooking methods.