New Puerto Rican Food Truck Is Dishing Out Empanadas

Born and raised in Connecticut, Adrian Ayala moved to Colorado three years ago for a job in the steel industry — but now he's the owner of Mama's Empanadas, a food truck that hit the Denver streets this summer.

After more than a decade of working demanding hours in various positions, Ayala started thinking about other possibilities. "Schedules are crazy in the steel industry," he says. "I understand that's just the industry, it demands a lot of hours, a lot of manpower. I moved out here for a management role, and I just decided, like, you know what, I want to do my own thing" — though he didn't know exactly what that would be.

Then, a night out with friends sparked an idea. "We were out bar-hopping and I saw a bunch of food trucks. I noticed a lot of tacos and pizza trucks, but there wasn't a lot of Puerto Rican food," he recalls. "I'm Puerto Rican, and I definitely didn't see any empanadas. Everyone knows about Maria Empanada and Lazo Empanadas out here, but I didn't see any food trucks."

Empanadas were an appealing option because they're easy to grab and go. "I've had that experience where I order something like loaded French fries and then have to find a place to sit and kind of balance a plate on your lap. I thought, this is kind of a perfect thing — a handheld snack that you can eat as you walk. I just saw an opportunity," Ayala explains. Although he doesn't consider himself a chef, Ayala discovered a knack for crafting empanadas. "I think I got lucky. I just put the right things together. And once I find something, I kind of stick with it," he says. He dedicated significant time to developing his recipes and style. "I really started by developing the base. In Puerto Rico, it's sofrito — a mixture of peppers, onions, garlic and other seasonings that we use as a base for a lot of things. I added a few extra ingredients, did some testing, and just kind of figured it out."

As for the dough, "Eventually, we want to get to the point where we make our own, but we're not there yet," Ayala notes, adding that the truck sources already-made dough for its empanadas, which is then filled and pressed by hand and fried instead of baked, because Ayala finds that the crispy texture that creates pairs perfectly with the juicy meat filling.

He and his wife, Kristen, officially launched Mama's Empanadas in June. "It was supposed to be a side gig, but it started consuming all my time. I finally had to make a decision whether to keep my nine-to-five or go all in on my own business. I already invested so much money, and I thought, I've got to at least give it a shot," says Ayala.

"Our thing is to start simple, and if it takes off, we'll start adding more and trying new things," he notes of the current menu. "Right now, we have two flavors: beef and chicken," plus a special seasonal pumpkin pie empanada. "Eventually we're going to do pork," he adds, and he might swap pumpkin for apple after the holidays.
The most recent addition to the menu are tostones chicken sliders. "We take a plantain, mash it and then fry it to create a bun. We fill it with shredded chicken and top it with avocado, pico de gallo, and drizzle it with mayoketchup, a staple in Puerto Rico," says Ayala. The truck also serves yuca nachos made with crispy fried yuca topped with queso blanco, pico de gallo, avocado and sour cream.

So far, Ayala loves being able to create his schedule and truly make something his own. He also enjoys the warm reception and compliments he gets from customers. "We're coming, man. Expect growth," he concludes.

For more information, including the truck's schedule, follow @mamasempanadasdenver on Instagram.