Wanna Empanada? Yes, please! This 2024 Best of Westchester readers’ pick winner for best empanadas is a combo storefront and food truck based in Ossining. It serves up new empanada flavors every day, taking inspiration from a fusion of Italian and Dominican cuisines. These are “Not Your Mama’s Empanadas,” as the shop’s slogan says.
Lovers of meat, cheese, veggies, and even chocolate will love the rotation of more than 100 savory and sweet fillings Wanna Empanada packs in its perfectly fried, fresh dough every day. On the rotating menu, there’s everything ranging from classic flavors such as chicken and beef to completely delicious, out-of-the-box options such as chicken parm and The Luca (sausage, broccoli rabe, and mozzarella). There are vegan, vegetarian, and seafood offerings, with specialty menu available on request as well. And did we mention there are also desserts and sides?
This family-owned and -operated business is made up of Doreen Gioio, her son, Philip Gioio, and his wife, Kenelyn Gioio. The Gioios were all born and raised in Ossining. The trio opened an empanada truck during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020.
“During COVID, we were all at home, and Philip always wanted to start a food business — so we started making empanadas and selling them locally — and then we realized we needed a truck,” Kenelyn says. “It was because of isolation during the pandemic that we started this business.”
The Gioio family also opened a drink truck called Wanna Sip in 2020, which is equipped with beer taps and slushie machines. Both trucks cater to festivals and private parties all over Westchester and beyond, even taking on events in New York City, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
Before opening the food trucks in 2020 and the Ossining storefront in the summer of 2023, the family all worked jobs completely unrelated to food. Kenelyn worked at a hotel in Manhattan, Philip had a construction company, and Doreen worked as a secretary. Throughout it all, however, their love of food remained constant.
“A lot of our recipes are things we make at home for our family. We basically started putting our dinners in empanadas,” Kenelyn says. “I’m Dominican, so I grew up having empanadas all the time from the grocery store or at family parties.”
The menu is a fusion of Dominican and Italian heritage. Kenelyn enjoys cooking the classic flavors of chicken and beef empanadas from her youth. Doreen and Philip, on the other hand, come from Italian heritage, which also has a major influence on the menu. Case in point: the meatball parm, the stuffed long hot (provolone, prosciutto, bread crumbs), and the pepperoni pizza empanadas are all fun riffs on Italian favorites. The three co-owners all live under the same roof, as do Philip and Kenelyn’s three children.
“Opening a business was challenging, but in retrospect, it all works. We split up the job. We have ownership of our time,” Kenelyn says.
Although the exact origin of empanadas is disputed, these baked or fried pillowy pockets of goodness have been around for more than 500 years. The Spanish word is derived from empanar, meaning “to coat with bread.” Some say the first empanadas were typically filled with seafood. Empanadas have come a long way since then, with fillings influenced by a wide range of cultures and cuisines. Wanna Empanada has truly elevated the concept of what an empanada can be.
Kenelyn’s personal favorite empanada on the menu is a toss-up between the pepperoni pizza and the spinach and feta (both have a mouthwatering cheese pull), but there are dozens of other options, including the Buffalo chicken and the black bean and mushroom empanadas.
Wanna Empanada’s business has evolved exponentially since it first opened in 2020, going from an at-home operation to a food truck, two trucks, and then a storefront in the owners’ hometown. Now having won Best of Westchester two years in a row, the Gioio family look toward the future of the business with high aspirations.
“We just keep growing. Philip really wants to be in a supermarket,” Kenelyn says. “I would be happy with another truck.”
Wanna Empanada
238 N Highland Ave, Ossining; 914.330.8374
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