Josefina Perez of Josefina’s Empanadas went from bringing her homemade empanadas to an office potluck in 2024, to opening her own business in less than a year.
When the feedback at the potluck was overwhelmingly positive, Perez began to think about turning her empanadas into a side hustle but didn’t know where to start. On a whim, she attended a local networking event and felt instantly welcomed by the small business community. “The energy was, ‘Come on, you’re welcome here,’ and I felt like I could be myself,” she says. She left that networking event with her first empanada catering order.
Perez calls her early empanadas “day ones.” She wanted to make something different from the traditional ground beef version, so she used beef chuck to make her classic Braised Beef Empanadas. Then she continued incorporating the flavors that she grew up with, including Dominican chicken and Mojo pork or “pernil,” which is roasted pork that’s been shredded with onions and peppers mixed in, in a citrus and garlic sauce.
Growing up Dominican in New York, empanadas were a special treat reserved for holidays, big parties and celebrations. Now Perez refers to her empanadas as “little pockets of love,” because she wants to help people make any moment in their lives extra special. Thanks to her proximity to Queens, her cooking also incorporates Italian influences. Her Garden Delight, she explains, “is almost like an Eggplant Parmesan,” and includes her homemade marinara sauce. The Pizza Empanada, filled with mozzarella and her sauce, is a mashup of Perez’s culinary roots. And if you’ve ever dreamed of a sweet empanada, she is figuring that out too. Perez’s Guava and Cheese Empanada is made with pastry crust and baked, rather than fried.
In addition to her inventiveness in the kitchen, Perez’s approach to business is unique as well. She offers catering and order-ahead options, delivering all of her orders personally, no matter the size. Perez thinks it’s important to meet her customer and make that connection. So instead of having a brick-and-mortar shop, her goal is to continue building these relationships in her community. She has already partnered with Cowboy Coffee and Mima’s Cafe and Tea Bar, both located in Indialantic, Florida, where her empanadas are sold daily and sell out by noon.
On Perez’s personal business website, she promotes other small businesses in the area that offer services for large events. To Perez, these community members are not competition. They are “partners.” With this mindset, Josefina’s Empanadas is modeling a new way of business, one that brings up everyone else around her too. Perez believes that people win when they come together and support one another, and she’s proving that, perhaps one little pocket of love at a time. “I’m all about everyone winning and getting to the top together,” she says.
AUTHOR
Ashley is a writer and teacher living in Florida. When she isn't reading or writing, you can find her in the kitchen experimenting with a new recipe, on the yoga mat in downward dog, or lost out in nature with her family.
NEXT ON THE DISH
