Cooking has been a passion of Orlando's since childhood. When he left Chile in 1991 after college, he found himself longing for the flavors of home — but the Latin community in Minnesota was small, and the Chilean community even smaller. To satisfy his cravings, he began folding Chilean flavors into his everyday meals, slowly recreating the tastes he missed dearly.
"I was cooking my way back home, one plate at a time."
Following in his mother's footsteps and with the unwavering support of his family, Orlando set out to build something of his own. In 2013, he took the leap into the food truck industry, launching EMCONADA Food Truck — specializing in serving empanadas in a cone. It was the beginning of his exploration into Latin fusion.
Twelve years later, we're proud to introduce our new food van, bringing Chilean-Latin fusion to neighborhoods across the Twin Cities. Committed to sustainability, the van runs entirely on clean energy, powered by batteries — quiet enough for indoor venues and gentler on the places we serve.
We're just getting started. Thank you for sharing the table with us.