Argentina’s Best Empanadas
Address: 357 South 200 East
Telephone: 801-548-8194
Website: argentinasbestslc.com
District: Central City
In every bite, I want people to feel the love and care, and to feel closer to Argentina.” That has always been Ana Valdemoros’s hope with Argentina’s Best Empanadas. Born in Córdoba and raised in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, Ana came to Salt Lake City in 2000 to study city planning at the University of Utah. At the time, there were few options for traditional Argentine food.
One summer, while Ana was wandering Pioneer Park’s fledgling farmers market with her visiting mother, inspiration struck. “I thought, wouldn’t it be great if I could stroll this market with an empanada in my hand - something warm and delicious I could eat while shopping?” Her mom encouraged her to pursue the idea, and by the next summer, Ana found herself racing to submit a last-minute application to join the market.
“I didn’t even have a name. I just thought, what’s the best of Argentina? Empanadas, of course. So, I wrote down ‘Argentina’s Best Empanadas.’” That day in 2006 marked the beginning of a business that would grow beyond anything Ana initially imagined.
With a $1,000 loan from her mother, Ana bought a cooler, tent, and ingredients. She had no car, so she borrowed a friend’s boyfriend’s truck (shoutout to the Zumsteins). She prepared those first twenty-four empanadas in her dorm kitchen - a method no longer allowed but possible at the time - and sold out immediately. The next week, she doubled her batch. “I was going in the dark, but I was so excited, so driven. I just knew I was going to make it happen.”
From the beginning, everything Ana did was infused with a sense of home. Her goal was not just to sell food. It was to share her culture. “My family is from the countryside where empanadas are made with love, where music, tradition, and flavor all come together. I wanted people here to experience that.” Over time, she experimented with new flavors - chicken, spinach, lemon beef - and expanded into catering. To this day, the traditional and lemon beef empanadas remain bestsellers. “Every empanada is a little story from home. That is what I want people to taste.”
After years of renting commercial kitchens around Salt Lake, Ana set her sights on a permanent storefront. In 2017, she found the perfect space - an old building that felt, in her words, “like a little deli in Argentina.” The shop became a charming grab-and-go destination, filled with yerba mate, alfajores, Argentine cookies and crackers, and, of course, warm empanadas handmade from scratch. “Even Argentinians tell me it feels like home when they come here. That’s the best compliment I could ask for.”
Though the shop is open daily, the heart of the operation lies just a few blocks away at Square Kitchen, the commercial kitchen and food business incubator Ana co-founded with her college friend and fellow entrepreneur, Tham Soekotji. The two met while studying at the U and shared a vision for supporting other food startups, especially immigrants and first-time founders. “We knew the struggle of trying to find an affordable kitchen with flexible hours. We wanted to make it easier for the next person.”
In May 2018, they launched Square Kitchen in Salt Lake City’s Granary District, transforming a neglected building into a twenty-four-hour incubator for culinary dreams. In 2023, they opened a second location in South Salt Lake in partnership with the city, providing an entry point for those ready to test restaurant service without long-term leases. Square Kitchen has helped dozens of local food makers get started. Some, like Drunken Kitchen, have gone on to open their own brick-and-mortar shops. “That’s the goal,” Ana said. “We want to be the place where ideas are born, nurtured, and launched into something sustainable.”
Ana’s dedication to empowering others extends well beyond the kitchen. In 2019, she became a Salt Lake City Councilwoman, bringing her urban planning background, entrepreneurial experience, and immigrant perspective to local government. That same year, she helped create the Utah Argentina Alliance, a cultural nonprofit that connects and supports the growing Argentine community in Utah. “At our first gathering, we thought maybe twenty people would come. Over fifty showed up,” she recalled. “We realized we were far more numerous and more connected than we thought.”
Since then, the Alliance has performed traditional dances, hosted cultural events, and raised over $27,000 in scholarships for Argentine students. Each year, members gather to hand-make empanadas together, using Ana’s kitchen and supplies. The food is sold at the Living Traditions Festival, with all proceeds going toward education. Ana’s mother, now a permanent resident of Salt Lake City, helps lead the folkloric dance group and passes down choreography to the next generation. “She’s our superstar,” Ana smiled. “Always helping, always stepping in when we need her.”
Ana has a full life - running a business, serving her city, mentoring others, and raising her children with her husband, Regan, whom she refers to as her “ultimate weapon” behind her businesses. All of this is done while preserving the flavors and values of the country she holds dear. “I’m not a chef. I’m not a restaurateur. I’m someone who loves my roots and wants to share that love. I believe if we work hard and lift others up as we go, we make space for everyone to thrive.”
