Empanada Owner Hopes Dreams Are About To Take Flight

A year into her journey as an empanada entrepreneur, Patty Caneda says she has learned many things. She has learned, especially, that she is much stronger than she believed.

And now, as she celebrates a full year of operating her restaurant -- Caneda’s, an empanada experience, on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River -- she is ready to spread her wings in ways that she hopes will inspire other women to do as well.

While many restaurant owners take their success and look to expand their business to another main street establishment, Caneda has a very different goal: she wants Caneda’s empanadas to find a home in airports, next to the magazine shops and restaurants. By the end of the year, she said, she expects to submit a bid to the Port Authority to open up at Newark Liberty International Airport.

“I’m hoping to franchise Caneda’s at airports across the country,” she said Thursday. “When you get on an airplane, do you want a bagel or would you like to grab a box of empanadas?”

But getting Caneda’s empanadas in the hands of travelers all over the country is only half of the goal, she said. Her ultimate goal and hope is that as the franchising takes off, she will be able to put more time and effort into helping other women who, like her, find themselves rebuilding their lives after a divorce.

Caneda opened her restaurant to give herself and her daughters some security and to ensure she can pay for her daughters’ education. Her oldest is a year away from college. She had worked for a medical malpractice insurance company for several years, but when the company was bought out, she said she realized her job was no longer secure. That’s when she decided to open the restaurant, making empanadas as a tribute to her Cuban roots. And despite an extremely limited marketing budget, It has gained a following, the 15-year resident of Toms River said.

But Caneda said it wasn’t just about the income, however; it also was about rebuilding her self-confidence.

“When you get divorced, you lose a lot, including confidence,” she said. ”I know how hard it is. I want to inspire others going through it.”

Caneda said she participates in a private Facebook group for single mothers, where they offer each other support, ideas and advice, but she wants to take it a step further.

“I want to support women who need to embrace the need to start over,” she said, “because that’s what you have to do, embrace it.” That’s the only way to cope with the challenges that starting over brings, she said.

The challenges Caneda has faced have been enormous, she said, but nothing compared with the challenges of trying to get into the airport restaurant arena. It has taken months of work to find the right people to speak with, she said.

But Caneda said she also has connected with people who are willing to help her.

Tops on the list has been Daniel Ackerman of Riptide Digital, a local company, who redesigned her website.

“He offered to take it on as a passion project,” Caneda said, and he also has helped her with marketing. ”I am so grateful for his help.”

She also has spent a lot of time marketing herself and the business on LinkedIn, where she had connected with an attorney who specializes in investment contracts. Additionally, she was introducted to a consultant whose background is writing business plans and who is helping her with that aspect of the project.

Lastly, through a friend, she was introduced to a man she calls her “airport angel,” who spent more than 20 years working in the airport franchise industry and who has helped her with the ins and outs.

“He is instrumental in guiding me through this process,” Caneda said.

With their assistance, Caneda hopes to submit her bid to get into Newark airport by December.

“It’s a process,” she said. “There are no guarantees. If you have one thing wrong with the bid, you’re out.”

But she isn’t letting fear -- of either the unknown or of failure -- stop her from chasing this dream.

“It’s exciting to see the possibilities,” she said. “We appreciate the support Toms River has given us, the way they have embraced us and supported us.”

It has built her already formidable confidence -- and she hopes to pay that forward, soon.

“I want to mentor other women who are starting over, like I had to,” she said. “That’s something I can’t wait to have the time to do.”

Caneda’s will have a special Friday -- $2 savory empanadas -- all day. The $2 price does not apply to the dessert empanadas and the price of combo meals will remain the same, she said.

The restaurant is located at 793 Fischer Blvd., Toms River. Check out its website or the Facebook page for hours and daily specials.