The Big Apple already has emblematic places that have become inevitable stops for New Yorkers and visitors, such as Times Square, Central Park, the Joker’s stairs, Little Italy and Chinatown. But in the heart of Corona, at the corner of Van Doren Street and 108th Street, there is a very small place, considered by lovers of good food, another of the most famous places in New York, which cannot be left. to go.
It is about “Empanadas Café”, a small family business, launched more than 20 years ago by the Colombian sisters Patricia Bernard and Luz Helena Bermúdez, which daily has long lines of diners from all parts of the city, who go until there to please the palate and enjoy a complete and varied menu, made up of 19 types of empanadas.
The place, recently chosen by the Queens Chamber of Commerce as “the best empanadas in the county”, after a contest in which several places that sell the famous snack, typical of Hispanic cuisine, competed, it is not only a gastronomic experience with delicacies prepared from corn dough, wheat flour dough and organic whole wheat dough, but rather a meeting place for the community.
Many of the clients are known from long ago, whom even the owners and workers of the restaurant have seen grow, and who do not stop going to the business every time they have a craving for a good meat and potato empanada, chicken, chicharrón , ham and cheese, or if they are vegetarian or vegan, they are happy with the options of broccoli with cheese, jalapeño with cheese, spinach with cheese or mixed vegetables.
This is what Patricia Bernard, a professional in political science, confesses, who ended up following the path of gastronomy led by her sister, a professional chef, with whom she arrived in Corona, Queens, from Armenia, one of the most beautiful cities in the Colombian Coffee Axis and with whom today he shines, sticking out his chest, leaving his mark on the City of Skyscrapers.
“For us this is more than a sale of empanadas, it is a beautiful experience that we have promoted and with which we have been creating community and ties with neighbors and people who have been coming from all over New York for years. We are a big family”, assures the small businesswoman, admitting that having received the award for “the best empanadas in Queens”, fills her with satisfaction. “It is not an award that makes us think that we make the best empanadas, because we have always known that. Nobody beats us in that, and it is something that our clients support, who always say so, but undoubtedly, when they give you an award, it feels cool, even more so knowing that it was the community that voted and recognized this as the best place in queens”.
And when talking about that secret that makes the delights of Empanadas Café so famous, Patricia assures that it is about the love with which they prepare them, and the absolute demand with which they move when producing their snacks.
“The key here is the high quality of the products and keeping the products consistent. In this we are very demanding, because in the kitchen we follow the recipes to the letter to guarantee that the client who ate some empanadas in 2003 and eats them now, knows that they are the same, that they have not changed”, he says the manager of the place, where only women work, as a way to promote gender justice in an industry full of men.
“Here we are only women, always very feminist, and because the restaurant industry is dominated by men, that is something we see everywhere, because although there are female chefs, the opportunities for women are limited, and although it is not that let’s close the doors to men, because some have worked here, mostly we have moved with women who have also been there for many years. The one that has been with us the least has been 7 years”, adds the Colombian, inviting those who still do not know the wonder of the 19 types of empanadas they handle, to make a stop for Corona.
“Whoever wants to eat the best empanadas in the world, and collaborate with a small business that focuses on helping women, has to go through here. Come and try them, and you will realize that all the noise that is made about our restaurant is true, because as they say out there, when the river sounds, stones carry and there will be a reason for the long lines that you see ”, he said very gracefully.
And being directly responsible for the recipes, and joining her sister in saying that the empanadas from “Empanadas Café” are not only the best in Queens, but the best empanadas that exist in the world, chef Luz Helena Bermúdez, a fan of healthy food, and creator of an organic integral dough that she is currently patenting, ensures that the taste for cooking runs in her veins.
“That is something that goes back a long way. For Latinos and in all cultures, food is always something very important to get together as a family, and I remember that despite being very macho at that time, when we were girls, my dad would go into the kitchen on Sundays to prepare the breakfast and made us empanadas. My brothers, all of them, also focused on food and several of them are chefs,” says the cook, while recalling that when they arrived in New York the flute rang with the empanadas, and since then they have not stopped, not even in the pandemic.
“This had a very nice family origin, and we got together when it came to bringing out the flavors, saying let’s take this off, let’s put this on it. We have already made all the empanada recipes that we have wanted, so we do not think of making any new ones but rather remain faithful to our 19 types of empanadas that we have and that we make in the healthiest way”, says the businesswoman.
And when talking about the possibility of expanding the business, or moving it to a larger location, the creators of “Empanadas Café” assure that their desire is to continue where they started.
“We like it the way it is. We are a small, familiar, neighborhood place. We think if we change that, it would be very impersonal. We want to continue here through the window, greeting people we’ve known for years and continue to feel proud to know that we are representing all the women we work with and serve,” added the chef.
Victoria Medrano, who has been working in the business’s kitchen since it started, was also proudly recognized for producing Queens’ Best Empanadas and says they are, without a doubt, the best of the best.
“It is that the flavor that we give to our empanadas is unique for each flavor and also the products that are used are of the highest quality. We don’t do anything that contains excess fat, and we also do it with great appreciation”, says the Salvadoran.
And outside the premises, after queuing and waiting for about 15 minutes to receive his order of empanadas, Marlon Muya, a regular customer of the restaurant, gives his support for the good flavor they have and confesses his love for the chicken and plantains. with cheese.
“These empanadas are delicious. I always come from Jamaica to eat them here, because I love them. It’s four years since I tried them for the first time and I keep coming back,” said the loyal customer.
“Empanadas Café” in data
- Address: 5627 Van Doren St, Corona, Queens, NY 11368
- You can visit the restaurant’s online site at https://empanadascafe.com/
- 19 types of empanadas produced on site, including vegan empanadas
- The Queens Chamber of Commerce created the competition this year and after hundreds of nominations, they received the award for the best empanadas in Queens.
- Patricia Bernard and Luz Helena Bermúdez are the owners of the business, created more than 20 years ago.
- They have a tray of 50 mini empanadas for $80