Two college students, a shared dream, and a love for Ilocano flavors that grew into something more than they ever imagined.
Casa Empanada didn't begin in a boardroom or with a grand business plan. It began in a modest home kitchen in Tarlac, with two college students who were simply trying to find a way to help their families.
Chloe and Rap were both studying at a university in Tarlac City, juggling exams, deadlines, and the quiet weight of watching their families struggle. Chloe's grandmother, Lolet, was recovering from an illness, and the medical bills were piling up. Rap's younger siblings needed school supplies, and his parents' income as market vendors was never quite enough. They didn't have jobs. They had each other, a worn-out stove, and a desperate need to help the people they loved.
It started as a simple side hustle — something to do between classes. Chloe's grandmother, Lolet, was from Ilocos Sur and had passed down her recipe for traditional Ilocos empanada — that unmistakable orange rice-flour shell, crisp and golden, stuffed with green papaya, monggo sprouts, longganisa, and a perfectly runny egg. Lolet had taught Chloe how to fold the dough when she was just a little girl standing on a stool in the kitchen. Rap, who had grown up helping his parents at their palengke stall, knew how to source ingredients and talk to customers.
They pooled together their savings from baon and part-time project money — ₱4,800 in total — bought ingredients from the local palengke, and started making empanadas in Lolet's kitchen while she watched from her rocking chair, occasionally calling out corrections. They posted on Facebook Marketplace, took orders from classmates and neighbors, and delivered on a second-hand bicycle with a rusty basket that Rap had fixed up himself.
Word spread. Classmates from their university started ordering in bulk. Professors placed orders for department meetings. What started as 20 empanadas a weekend became 50, then 100, then too many to count on Lolet's single stove.
Somewhere between the third batch of bagnet and the thousandth empanada folded by hand, something shifted. This was no longer just about paying the bills. They found themselves researching Ilocano cooking techniques late into the night, traveling to Vigan and Laoag on their days off, learning from provincial vendors who had been making the same recipes for decades.
They discovered that Ilocano food is more than just bold flavors — it's a story of resourcefulness, of making the most of every ingredient, of transforming simple provincial fare into something deeply satisfying. The bagnet, the pinakbet, the dinakdakan — every dish carried generations of tradition.
They fell in love. Not just with the food, but with what it represented: hard work, family, and the quiet pride of Ilocano culture.
Every dish we serve is made the way we'd make it for our own families — with care, honesty, and the best ingredients we can find.
We hand-fold every empanada, make our own longganisa, and source our bagnet from trusted Ilocano suppliers. Quality over shortcuts.
We honor the traditions of Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur in every recipe. This food is our heritage, and we share it with respect and joy.
We source locally, hire from our barangay, and believe that a business should lift up the people around it — not just the bottom line.
We're not in a race. We grew from ₱4,800 and a bicycle, and we'll keep growing at our own pace — one good empanada at a time.
It sounds simple, but it's true. Every order — whether pickup or delivery — is packed with the same love that started this journey.
Casa Empanada is proof that you don't need deep pockets to start something meaningful. You just need a reason that matters — and for us, that reason has always been the people we love.
Tarlac · Est. 2023 · ₱4,800 & a dream