LINDON — In a small, bright yellow Lindon warehouse with bags of onions and a fridge full of green and red peppers, three entrepreneurs are plotting an overthrow of traditional fast food burgers and pizza.
Their secret weapon? The empanada — a half-circle dough pocket filled with meats, cheeses and vegetables straight from the heart of Latino culture.
"We will introduce the word 'empanada' into the English language," said Diego Fernandez, who hails from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and is the recipe mastermind behind the product. "By next year, everyone will know what (an) empanada is."
Fernandez is co-founder of The Empanada Co., which opened last week in Lindon. It is the first empanada production plant in Utah and one of a handful in the United States.
Offering traditional beef, chicken, spicy cheese and corn, as well as a dessert empanada oozing with apples and dulce de leche, the company hopes to woo the institutional market, said marketing guru Adrian Escalante.
It's hoping to win over hospitals, schools, business conventions, catering companies and even restaurants with its quick-food item.
The empanadas come frozen and can be baked in about 15 minutes. Throw it in the deep fryer and it's ready in about 6 minutes. A box of 50 sells for $34.50.
"We want to make good-looking food," said Daniel Lombrozo, the company president, who comes from Mexico and lives in California. "When you see it, you want to eat it. When you bite it, you love it and you want to get addicted. That's what we want."
Along with tasting good, the owners say an empanada is easy to eat, not too messy, made with all fresh ingredients and more nutritious than many fast-food offerings. One chicken empanada has about 220 calories and 11 grams of fat. It also contains 16 grams of protein, 9 grams of fiber and 49 grams of carbohydrates.
The company isn't set up for individual-consumer sales right now, but that doesn't mean it won't be in the future.
"This is really the beginning; it's a prototype plant," Escalante said of the building at 321 S. 1250 West in Lindon. "Now is the time to make it very efficient."
The Lindon plant meets Utah requirements to handle fresh meat and foods and thus can ship anywhere in the state.
"They're excellent," said Gary Weagle, circuit supervisor for the meat inspection program, under the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food. "They're doing a good job. They're following regulations. They're very concerned about the quality of their product."
The building also was set up to meet U.S. Department of Agriculture standards, which are slightly higher than those of the state. They don't have that approval yet but can apply for it when they want to go nationwide, Escalante said.
For now, Utah's untapped market is enough. The company is already booked with contracts but wouldn't specify with whom because the contracts aren't finalized, Escalante said.
A few months ago, the company did a taste test at Lone Peak High School, asking for feedback from the student palate.
"It was good. It was really good," said Diana Milne, manager of food services for the high school. "The kids really liked them. For something new, they took it really well."
That's exactly what the empanada creators like to hear.
"We want to maintain the original flavors but adapt it for the American market," Fernandez said.
Getting back to his roots, Fernandez has been to Argentina six times in the last year, asking for comments from people in "empanada country."
Each time, reviews get better and better, he said. He's even been told to open a shop down there.
With each slight recipe twist, Fernandez and his co-founders must eat another dozen or so empanadas — tasting, experimenting and tasting again to make the product even better. Not that they mind.
"The final product is so good," Fernandez said. "I'm still loving it."
E-mail: sisraelsen@desnews.com