WAYNE, Pa. (CBS) — A woman making Latin American comfort food is breaking barriers at a farmers market in Wayne, while spreading her love for empanadas and embracing her heritage.
These golden brown empanadas infused with an array of sweet and savory fillings have become much more than just a crispy handheld staple at the Lancaster County Farmers Market.
“I usually call them pockets of love,” Veronica Fitzgerald, owner of V Empanadas, said.
Fitzgerald first started making the fried on-the-go meals for her friends and family in 2009 as a way to tap into her Ecuadorian culture after moving to the U.S. at age 14 with her family.
“I just decided to teach myself how to make some of the things that brought me back to when I was young and my tradition,” she said.
Fast forward and V Empanadas was born.
“To think that we’re making about 3,000 of them a month, it’s a lot,” Fitzgerald said.
All those empanadas have led her to become the first Latina-owned business to have a stand at the Lancaster County Farmers Market since it started back in 1929.
“We have a lot of people around here that work and support this market that are Latin, but to actually have the spot and to offer Latin food to people here is amazing,” she said.
Fitzgerald is also offering other Latin small businesses a chance to showcase their own products at her stand too.
To prepare for orders, she first gets the dough ready, scoops in the desired filling and uses a mold to close up the empanada before it’s fried up and ready for a taste test. She can now hand-make 65 of them in just an hour.
But juggling a successful business and a family wouldn’t have been possible without help from those around her, like her father, who helps out at the market.
“When she needs, I have to be here,” Louis Chavez said.
She hopes to inspire others to take on new opportunities and always lean on the ones and the food that bring you comfort.
