Today we’d like to introduce you to Christine Marshall.
Hi Christine, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
As a young girl, I was introduced to Jamaican beef patties and fell in love with them immediately. It gave me a new appreciation for foods outside of my culture. Growing up in an immigrant household from the Azores Islands, I was unfamiliar with many foods outside of the typical Portuguese cuisine. In many ways, this served as the catalyst in my journey of seeking meat-filled patties from different ethnicities. Although Portuguese cuisine is known for its unique take on meat and seafood-filled patties such as Rissóis, empanadas took a special place in my heart.
I started making empanadas for family and friends over 20 years ago, and they were an instant hit. While building my career within Corporate America, I would always find ways to introduce empanadas at different company functions. As you can imagine, the empanadas were a huge success and served as a confirmation that I had something special. It was clear that this was my passion.
In March 2022, the passion took over, and I decided to quit my corporate job, and Latin Stove was born. Since then, we have been on an amazing journey, participating in numerous events around Atlanta, Alpharetta, Smyrna, Roswell, and many other surrounding cities. In fact, we recently participated in the Atlanta Christkindl Market which has been our biggest event to date!
We are currently moving into a private kitchen in Atlanta, which will open additional opportunities for customers to enjoy our delicious empanadas as well as other delights. Stay tuned!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Every day has been a learning process, and no two days have been alike. Needless to say, it has been a rough and bumpy road in getting the business started. From not knowing how to pay sales taxes, understanding how to calculate food costs or how to market our business and scale. However, the rewards far outweigh the struggles.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Latin Stove is a trendy empanada company that puts a new spin on old traditions by delivering robust flavors that keep you coming back for more. We love to feed people and created our menu to provide a selection for everyone. Whether you are in the mood for beef, chicken, seafood, vegetarian, vegan, or dessert empanadas, we have you covered!
What sets us apart is our goal to provide delicious food for all with a strong emphasis on exceptional customer service. We are known for cooking all empanadas on-site at every event to ensure they are always hot and fresh.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
Being that we are not in one particular place at all times, we enjoy meeting new people in and around Atlanta. Whether it’s a small-town feel or big-city vibes, we love the reaction of our customers once they try our empanadas.
We dislike the traffic jams the most!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.latinstove.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/latinstove
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/latinstove
- Other: www.tiktok.com/latinstove
Image Credits
MJ Furillo
