ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Bobby Paddilla has been going to the Rochester Public Market for more than a decade. There is one thing that always keeps him coming back.
"Sometimes a little early sometimes a little late, but it always started her at Juan and Maria's,” said Paddilla. “Like that was our incentive to actually getting the kids out of bed was we're gonna get empanadas."
For 17 years, Juan Contreras and his wife Maria have been serving up their delicious empanadas out of the turquoise building.
"The Public Market was the boom, that's when we started selling 20 empanadas on Saturday,” said Co-Owner Juan Contreras. “A hundred empanadas on a Saturday, 500 empanadas in a Saturday, and then went to a thousand-plus empanadas on a Saturday."
Now after nearly two decades, Juan and Maria's Empanada Stop is moving. The building is set to be demolished as part of an $8M renovation project at the market. Contreras says this location holds many fond memories.
"There's just so many stories that actually it's been suggested to me that I should write a book because it's just so many beautiful stories that you can't make them up," said Contreras.
Fortunately for Contreras and fans of his famous empanadas the story doesn't end here. Juan and Maria will be opening at a different location right here in the Public Market.
And Contreras says after nearly 30 years of perfecting his empanadas, he wants to spend more time with his family and expand the business.
"We want people to know that we really need to start growing the brand,” said Contreras. “But through others to be successful and maybe have several spots within the outskirts of the city or in the suburbs."
And that suits Bobby Paddilla just fine.
"Good luck to Juan moving into his next location and future success," said Paddilla.
Juan and Maria's new location is expected to be at the main north entrance beginning next week.