Today we’d like to introduce you to Marisol Pitta-perez
Hi Marisol, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
We started our Empanada business to showcase a very popular Peruvian dish to our Utah community. Marisol Pitta-Perez is originally from Lima Peru and moved to Utah over 25 years ago. Our Peruvian Empanada is different from other Empanadas, based on the following factors:
1. Baked not fried.
2. Made from scratch, Each ingredient is hand picked, everything is cooked and seasoned, dough is made by us. Each Empanada is assembled by hand and each flavor has a specific way the crust is made. For example. Chicken has a braid around it. Ham and Cheese has a round shape and braided, Beef has dots made by our fingers, Vegan has a dot in middle, Apple is a smaller circle with marks made with a fork, Gluten Free is more flat and has a different color, Aji de Gallina is more flat with folder ends.
3. Peruvian seasoning.
4. We make them over half a pound.
5. We offer party size empanadas which are half the size.
We had to make some modifications to best serve our Community consumers. We wanted to provide a Gluten free option so everyone could enjoy some traditional Artisan Peruvian Empanada. Ham and cheese is not very traditional, but people wanted a breakfast option. People also wanted a sweet Empanada so the Apple was created.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a challenging road learning the ropes. Most people assume we just bake empanadas and sell them. What most people don’t know that before selling them you have to have the following.
A commissary kitchen as we can’t make them out of our house, get permits from the health Dept of the County you are doing the market at.
Get all of the equipment, once that is all done you have to apply to see if you can get into events, farmer markets, marketing, permits for events.
It has been a learning process and we are happy we did it.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Marisol does pottery and is very creative and has been selling pottery at markets for over five years and this is where we got most of her market contacts.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
Our clients and friends have helped along the way by ordering Empanadas and giving us great reviews. In our first year we won third place in best of Utah.
Pricing:
- $9 Regular Empanadas
- $10 Gluten Free
- $5 Apple
- $11 Steak Empanadas
- $1 Cilantro-Jalapeno sauce
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Empanadas801.com
- Instagram: @empanadas801ut
