Leila’s Empanadas Handheld Happiness
However, overcoming obstacles and starting over were far from unfamiliar concepts for the chef, who recently launched a line of authentic, artisan empanadas in Anthem, Cave Creek and Scottsdale. “Every time you have some challenges, you become stronger than you were,” Beltrame says.
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Having moved from Brazil to Anthem in 2015, Leila Beltrame recently launched a line of authentic, artisan empanadas in Anthem, Cave Creek and Scottsdale. Photo by Tawn Smith Photography
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When Leila Beltrame moved from her hometown in Brazil to Arizona in 2015, she encountered a completely different culture and a seemingly insurmountable mountain of challenges. As if learning an entirely new language did not produce enough headaches for her, Beltrame needed to essentially rebuild her business from scratch.
Writer Joseph J. Airdo
Having grown up part of a poor, farming family in southern Brazil, Beltrame witnessed first-hand the devastation of losing crops to frosts on multiple occasions. “Sometimes the ice comes and destroys everything,” says Beltrame, noting that the process of re-planting to harvesting takes a long time. Therefore, knowing what crops grow quickly and good practices of preserving and preparing food were of the utmost importance. Fortunately, her mother and grandmother were both experts and not only helped Beltrame’s family survive the destruction and rebuild but also instilled within her the perseverance and knowledge
