Empanadas have been enjoyed for years throughout much of the Americas, though they have only recently become popular in New Jersey.
Most people probably think of an empanada as a meat, veggie and/or cheese stuffed pastry deep fried until golden brown, and enjoyed as an appetizer or a handheld snack from a street vendor or at the market.
But Jimena and Mikl Hajek of Hopewell-based Catalina Empanadas want you to know that there is another way to enjoy empanadas. They can baked instead of fried, as they are in Chile, Jimena Hajek’s home country. And the couple says that they are every bit as delicious as the deep fried version — and perhaps ever so slightly better for you.
Catalina Empanadas is not the first foray into the food and dining scene for the Hajeks. In 2012, they took over La Chardon tea room in Hopewell Borough and renamed it Paint the Rose Tea Room and Café.
In the restaurant, they served traditional English tea service, along with a variety of soups, sandwiches and Sunday brunch favorites. It was there that they first started serving their Chilean-style empanadas.
Paint the Roses Tea Room was open until 2015. The Hajeks closed it and moved to Bergen County. They opened a snack business called Not Just Nuts in Westwood, selling empanadas there too. When a farmers market started up in Westwood, they decided to set up a stand to sell empanadas.
When that was a success, they started joining other markets in the Bergen County area, selling what was now their signature product.
Deciding that Bergen County was not quite for them, the Hajeks moved back down south, settling in Franklin Park. But they use the kitchen facilities in Hopewell Presbyterian Church as the base of operations for Catalina Empanadas. They are also members of the church; Jimena was recently made a deacon there.
“I grew up Catholic. and my faith was always important to me,” Jimena says. “In these last years, I realized that I didn’t need to be Catholic to follow God. I felt more like family with the people here at Hopewell Presbyterian Church than any other church before. Everyone is so nice.”
Mikl says the opportunity to use the church facilities has really helped the business to succeed in its new Central Jersey home. “It was exactly what we needed,” he says. “A nice, comfortable commercial kitchen, nice comfortable atmosphere. We like it here a lot.”
Mikl is originally from South Brunswick. Jimena Hajek was born in Santiago, and lived in Chile until she was 30 years old. After moving to the U.S., she met Mikl, and after the couple married, they ran a business—a furniture shop in Montgomery, Scandinavian Design—until closing that and buying the tea room.
In Chile, Jimena had been in charge of a restaurant at a ski resort from the age of 21. She brings that wealth of experience to Catalina Empanadas today.
Catalina will be at a number of area farmers markets this summer and fall, including West Windsor, Princeton, Hopewell, Pennington, Montgomery and Bernardsville. They offer a variety of baked empanadas. Some, like the beef and the spinach and cheese empanadas, use traditional Chilean recipes. The rest — Mikl estimates that they rotate through about 20 varieties during the season — are unique Catalina recipes. Varieties include the Havana, the buffalo pulled pork, the vegan, the chorizo and the mushroom and cheese.
“There’s nothing wrong with a fried empanada,” Mikl says. “But most Americans don’t even know such a thing as a baked empanada exists. That’s kind of good for us. It sets us apart. We bake our product rather then deep frying because we think that it allows a more complete flavor profile. And although we do make traditional and authentic flavors, we pride ourselves on being a little more eclectic than the average.”
Each week they feature at least one special empanada, such as the Havana, which is inspired by a traditional Cuban sandwich, but given the Catalina twist.
They also offer Mikl’s Salso Gringo homemade salsas, a perfect complement to the empanadas.
The Hajeks enjoy the farmers market scene. They procure most of the vegetables they use in their empanadas from various local produce stands at the markets. West Windsor is their favorite of the local markets, but they also love being a part of the Hopewell and Pennington markets because it allows them to be a part of the Hopewell Valley community.
Although they have considered the idea of opening a permanent location for the business, for now they are content to stick with the market-based business plan.
“We’ve discussed it, but we’ve been there. It’s a lot of work, and we’re getting older,” Mikl says.
“If there is a good opportunity, maybe we will think about it,” Jimena adds.
Catalina Empanadas. At the Pennington Farmers Market, Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Hopewell Farmers Market, Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Also at the West Windsor Community Farmers Market, Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the Princeton Farmers Market, Thursdays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
