The Empanada Girl

The Empanada Girl Argentine Empanadas made locally, from scratch, with love �

✨ Cooking with The Empanada Girl ✨We're SO excited to finally announce our first public cooking class that is much more ...
06/12/2026

✨ Cooking with The Empanada Girl ✨

We're SO excited to finally announce our first public cooking class that is much more than just a class..... It is a hands-on culinary experience inspired by my family's Argentine and Italian culture and traditions.

We'll start the evening with a grazing board and beverages, move into our kitchen for guided hands-on instruction, then gather back to the dining room to enjoy a meal together. We'll finish the night with dessert and great conversation! At the end of the night, you'll head home with a recipe card, a take-home meal for 2, and a few new skills to add to your kitchen repertoire!!!

We will have two kinds of classes available:

1) 🥟 Empanada Folding & Chimichurri Workshop 🥟
Learn traditional empanada folding techniques, create beautiful hand-folded empanadas, and take home a box of ready-to-bake empanadas with a side of our signature chimichurri!!

2) 🌱 Gnocchi & Pesto Workshop 🌱
Learn the art of handmade potato gnocchi and fresh pesto while learning traditional techniques you can easily recreate at home for your loved ones! Enjoy a meal of our creation during class and take home enough for another meal for two!!

Call the café at 941-870-2729 to reserve your seat!!!

🥟 June 24th -- Empanada Folding & Chimichurri Workshop
🥟 July 17th -- Empanada Folding & Chimichurri Workshop
🌱 July 29th -- Gnocchi & Pesto Workshop

⏰ 6:30pm-8:30pm

🎟️$95 per guest

Classes are limited to 10 guests

06/11/2026

Is it JUNE?! Yes. Are we being asked to place our pre-orders for the 2026 Holiday season delivery of panettone?! Also YES!!! It seems crazy but here's another part of owning a business like this - the foresight!!! I haven't even thought about father's day yet but I'm having to think about a panettone order for 6 months from now?!? 😩

The panettone we have available at our café during the holidays is very special for several reasons:

1 - Not only is it made in Italy, but all panettone are made to order - hence why we pre-order 6 months in advance 🤪

2 - It is made from sourdough!!! And is leavened for TWO DAYS!!!! This is what makes it so darn soft and fluffy - it is NOT your ordinary fruit cake!!!

3 - The quantities are always limited - because we pre-order in June. Once we sell out of a flavor, that's it for the season 🥲

We tend to start receiving pre-orders from our customers in early November for panettone. Our best sellers are always the Pistachio and the Limoncello. People come year after year for those two flavors in particular. Last year was my first year in charge of panettone purchasing so this year, I have a better idea of what I'm doing. We sold out of the fun flavors way too early last year so I'm ordering a few extra cases for this year.

That being said - if you have any requests, right now is the time!!! But now you know that if you would like dibs on any panettone come the holiday season, reach out at the café and we can take care of you. Last year, a dear customer pre-ordered an entire case of 6 Limoncello panettone before we even received the shipment 😅 and that's how it's done!!

Anyway, in like 5 months when we receive the shipment, I'll definitely give you guys a heads up!!!

06/10/2026

SO I filmed this literally two months ago to the day BUT I'm currently home sick with a gnarly middle ear infection (??? Bc the best part of parenting small children is how generous they are with their cooties??? 🤪) so I felt it was a good time to finally edit and share this care package my team brought me!!! Seriously how nice is that??? 😭🫶 It was a team effort and one I appreciated so very much.

The beauty of our café is that we are a one stop shop. You can grab something that's hot/ready to eat, you can shop for easy meals to make at home, AND you can choose a delicious beverage to match your mood.

At the very end, you'll find a still of the whole haul, but I will list everything for you below:

- greek salad (easy lunch!)
- fresh pasta (easy dinner!)
- creamy chimichurri (a must for all the emps!)
- hot empanadas (to go with the salad 😍)
- refrigerated roasted veggies to add as a side for a later meal
- refrigerated Moroccan lentil soup (easy meal and SO yum)
- hot veggies
- refrigerated empanadas
- hot tea with honey

Seriously the best sick care package ever. It took us days to eat through it all and it was so amazing and supportive to have so many options of food that was already prepared and made from scratch. Times like these remind me of our why.... To provide support and comfort - whether it looks like a heartwarming lunch on a lunch break or something yum to pick up on your way home from work to quickly prepare for dinner After a long day. Or to provide a place to grab a few things for a loved one who needs a little extra support like I did that day ❤️

Honestly, I don't know what took me so long 😅 but we are finally carrying at the café!! Boombacha kombucha is a small l...
06/08/2026

Honestly, I don't know what took me so long 😅 but we are finally carrying at the café!!

Boombacha kombucha is a small local business that brews their kombucha in town. We are so grateful for the opportunity to support other local businesses within our own. 🥰

You can now grab a bottle of Ginger Lime and Smooth Operator with your next empanadas 🫶

Who's ready for another day in paradise!!!We'll be at at until 2pm today!!
06/07/2026

Who's ready for another day in paradise!!!

We'll be at at until 2pm today!!

06/06/2026

Chimichurri is one of those things that you wouldn't expect we give a second thought too.... It's just a condiment, right?! ❌😩❌

Oftentimes, owning and operating a small business looks like thinking and overthinking the small details.... like this. The amount of time and brain power I have spent the last several years on chimichurri sauce systems is literally embarrassing. It's one of those things that I can't quite pin down the ideal system. Who portions out the chimichurri? The factory team? The customers? The market team? What size cup do we use? How big or small do we grind the sauce? What kind of squeeze bottles? How do we display it? Where do we keep it? And honestly it goes on and on and on 😅

We keep trying different things, but usually it takes a few months/years of trying it a certain way to realize that may not be the best way and to switch it up in search of a ✨ better way✨

I think chimichurri service is one of those tiny things that takes a disproportionate space in my brain compared to other things 🤣. Now, we're trying something new again, where the food truck crews portion out the cups for you guys. And we started using a wider cup to make it easier to dip your empanada into!!

Honestly, if it were up to me, I would have scrapped the chimichurri service years ago BUT you guys love it so much, that I just can't do that to you!!! So. Here we are. Getting ready for service tomorrow at the , making sure there is enough chimichurri for everyone 😅

Taking a pause to share something near and dear to me... Last week, I had to say goodbye to my companion of the last 13 ...
06/06/2026

Taking a pause to share something near and dear to me... Last week, I had to say goodbye to my companion of the last 13 years.

Bolt came into my life in 2013 at just a few months old. If you came by the Sarasota downtown farmers market in that time, you may have seen him as a "little" puppy, sleeping under my booth. He soon outgrew being able to come with me to the market, but he sure did love coming with me while he could. Sometimes, Bolt and I would visit the Sunday markets when we didn't have to work them!

He's been my companion and protector ever since he was a pup... Until last week. As an old and quite large 13y/o husky/shepherd boy, the arthritis in his lower spine got the best of him, leaving a big empty space in my home, my life, and my heart.

I have to give a shout-out to the Sarasota Animal Medical Center on Fruitville for helping me care for him in his old age, and for helping us and being so kind, understanding, accommodating, and supportive when it was his time to go.

We spend so much of ourselves pouring into our careers, but it's important to stop sometimes to appreciate gratitude for other parts of our lives as well that make us human. Bolt was with me through many life changes, including through the addition of all three empanada boys. I'm so very grateful for how sweet and gentle he was with my babies in the last stretch of his life. ❤️‍🩹

Baby Ari knows what's good at the 💛 Fresh flowers, fresh seafood, and of course... empanadas!! We're looking forward to...
06/05/2026

Baby Ari knows what's good at the 💛

Fresh flowers, fresh seafood, and of course... empanadas!! We're looking forward to doing it again tomorrow!!!


The café is our little slice of happiness 🥰😍❤️ Come see us!! We're open 9:30am-6pm by the Trader Joe's on 41 in Sarasota...
06/04/2026

The café is our little slice of happiness 🥰😍❤️

Come see us!! We're open 9:30am-6pm by the Trader Joe's on 41 in Sarasota ❤️

Address

4141 S Tamiami Trail #13
Sarasota, FL
34231

Opening Hours

Monday 9:30am - 6pm
Tuesday 9:30am - 6pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 6pm
Thursday 9:30am - 6pm
Friday 9:30am - 6pm
Saturday 9:30am - 4pm

Telephone

9418702729

Website

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