Pilar’s Empanadas Argentinas

Pilar’s Empanadas Argentinas is owned by Pedro Correch and his wife Pilar, who is the head chef for their three trucks, two vans with tents and two retail locations in Venice and Ft. Myers. The two Argentinians moved to the States in 2015 and after buying a struggling restaurant that didn’t quite get traction, the family launched Pilar’s.

Correch says their team attends 15 farmers’ markets each week during the season, with Marco Island now their busiest.

Traditional beef empanadas are always the best sellers at the Marco Island Farmers’ Market, according to Correch, but the gourmet empanadas they recently introduced are becoming equally popular. Ingredients include Argentinian sausage, braised lamb with carrots and brie cheese with fig compote, among others. “The specialty gourmet empanadas that we launched last year are selling out every single Wednesday,” he says.

Correch, whose four of five children work in the family business, says Pilar’s is expanding into Michigan this summer thanks to a local Marco Island resident. “Fifty percent of our snowbird customers are from Michigan,” he says. “We have one Marco Island customer who really inspired us and pushed us to go to Grand Rapids, so it’s in the plan for this summer.”