68 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM After college and working in the corporate sphere, Marianne decided to pursue a career in the culinary field. She spent several years in Paris, first at Le Cordon Bleu and then at bakeries around the city. Spending time overseas reminded her that food is always more enjoyable when shared with others. “In France, food is connection,” she declares. Though she got the idea for turning empanadas into a business in 2010, it wasn’t until 2017 that Marianne opened her first cafe. “Empanadas are the perfect food: they’re handheld so they’re easy to eat, and the varieties of fillings are endless. You can have them for any meal, day or night, or as a snack,” says Marianne. This handy meal cloaked in pastry, or empanar in Spanish, originated in Portugal and Spain’s Galicia region in the 1500s. Like many other foods from this part of Europe, it and smell the food we make,” Marianne says. It’s why she insisted on opening a cafe, rather than just relying on catering and deliveries. Marianne was very intentional with the shop’s design, and her father’s Argentinian heritage is evident in the mementos and ephemera that fill the bright and welcoming dining area. “I wanted it to feel really homey and that’s why we added all the wood wainscotting,” she explains. The space also features an antique map of Argentina and photos of gaucho festivals celebrating the Argentinian cowboys by San Jose photographer Nick Price. Marianne’s most precious piece of memorabilia is her parents’ original business permit that hangs on the wall. {food coloring}
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