Omarlys Fernandez, business owner of Guaiqueri Empanadas, remembers craving Venezuelan food and not being able to find many options for it in Honolulu.
“There was a food truck a long time ago (that had Venezuelan food), but then they closed,” says Fernandez, whose family is from Venezuela, specifically Margarita Island.
Fernandez and her husband, Jurian Rojas, decided to open Guaiqueri Empanadas in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We opened our business to as an income for our family and to offer a Venezuelan option here,” Fernandez says. “Venezuela is a very blended country; we just wanted to offer a different option from the Latin American food people already know.
“I always wanted to showcase indigenous food from Margarita Island because I feel like the flavors and the way we cook is a little bit different,” she adds. “Guaiqueri is the name of our indigenous tribe from Margarita Island.”
Since April, Guaiqueri Empanadas has been a regular vendor at Plenty of Aloha’s market at the Varsity building on University Avenue. The business got its food truck last May, and still pops up at events around Oʻahu, according to Fernandez. They’ve been at Plenty of Aloha’s market at the Varsity building since April.
“We were looking for a place to park and sell (from our truck); this (Plenty of Aloha market) gave us the option to stay open and sell here every day if we wanted to,” she says.
Empanadas ($5-$9) come with fillings like chicken, chorizo and guava with cheese. The latter is influenced by local flavors, according to Fernandez.
“I like the taste of POG juice,” Fernandez says. “The combination of sweet and savory is really good.”
The business’s arepas, which is made with corn flour, are a customer favorite, according to Fernandez. Menu options include arepa reina pepiada ($13) — which features a chicken avocado filling — or arepa caprese ($15) with mozzarella, tomato and truffle cream.
“It (an arepa) can be grilled or it can be fried; it’s like a sandwich,” Fernandez explains. “You open it and stuff it with whatever you want.
“I did a cohort at the Culinary Institute of the Pacific, and it was about elevating your dishes,” she adds. “I felt inspired and tried to do that with the truffle cream.”
On Fridays, the business often features a special. At the time of our visit, pasticho ($25) — which Fernandez says is like a Venezuelan lasagna — was offered.
“We make it a little bit different, but we eat it a lot in Venezuela,” she says. “There’s layers of bechamel sauce, ground beef that we make very Venezuelan-style, a layer of pasta, and at the end, we put a lot of mozzarella, bechamel sauce and Parmesan cheese. The (featured) meat is ground beef with pork.”
The business also offers two drinks — cocada ($10) and papelon con limon ($8). Cocada is made of coconut milk, shredded coconut and coconut condensed milk, according to Fernandez. Meanwhile, papelon con limon is a refreshing drink made with raw cane sugar.
“Cocada is mostly sold in Margarita Island,” she says. “I put a little bit of salt, a little bit of vanilla and a little bit of cinnamon. It’s good; it’s creamy.”
Fernandez says they try to feature different dishes at the food truck so customers can try a variety.
“At the pop-ups, it’s (our menu’s) mostly empanadas and maybe one of our drinks,” she says. “We have a different menu here at the food truck park. If people want to try many Venezuelan dishes, they can come to our location at the food truck park.”
CONTACT
Guaiqueri Empanadas
Plenty of Aloha at Varsity Building
1110 University Ave., Honolulu
guaiqueriempanadas.com
Instagram: @guaiqueri_hawaii
Hours vary
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Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
