Mi Empanada Is Better Than Yours: How Argentinian-American food is taking Pittsburgh by storm
Rachel Jenkins and Ivan Gil-Silva are the owners of Mi Empanada, which specializes in Argentinian-style empanadas. (Photo by Mi Empanada)
Specializing in Argentinian-style empanadas, Mi Empanada is a pop-up and catering business that's taking Pittsburgh by storm. Mi Empanada is run by Rachel Jenkins and Ivan Gil-Silva. Rachel is a Pittsburgh native, while Ivan was born and raised in Argentina and moved to the U.S. when he was 16. In our recent social media giveaway, the Pittsburgh community voted Mi Empanada as the Best Empanada in the Burgh, sharing the the crown with The Colombian Spot.
We sat down with Rachel to chat about their signature empanadas, how food connects the Argentinian community in Pittsburgh, and their plans to take Mi Empanada from pop-up to storefront!
What was it like taking the step from cooking for your friends & family to doing pop-ups and catering around town?
It was overwhelming. We both had other full-time jobs, and we don't have chef backgrounds. We didn't have proper training. Really familiarizing ourselves with the business was probably the biggest struggle. We've grown a little faster than we anticipated, so just really settling into that has been the biggest challenge, but also exciting.
There was also the R&D, when it came to the recipes. We still tweak them once in a while, but it took us about a year or so to really nail them down. It was great, too, because we've had fans since the beginning. They tried our empanadas when we first started, and then a year later, every single time, they've said it’s gotten better. We're trying!
What does cooking and sharing Argentinian food with Pittsburgh mean to you and your cultural identity?
It's really amazing. There's just this whole community that has just really come out, that we did not realize was there. Ivan, being originally from Argentina, moved here when he was 16. He didn't really embrace himself in the Latin culture here. And me, being a Pittsburgh native, I didn't see it.
Serving Latin food has really brought forward a community that we didn't know was here. It's been amazing, the support you see. The only thing that I regret is that I don't speak Spanish. I'm the Pittsburgh half, for sure! Argentinian-American food.
What kind of responses have you gotten from the Argentinian community here, as well as the greater Pittsburgh community?
We joke, once we started making these empanadas, Argentinians just started coming out of the woodwork. I mean that in the best way. We didn't realize the presence that the Latin community has here. In other places, like Miami, you'll see that culture flourish; it's not so much in Pittsburgh. But the people here hear Argentinian empanadas and everyone comes out. They're happy to try and have Latin food in the Pittsburgh area.