The Best Empanada Challenge 

Congratulation to the Best Empanada Challenge of 2020 Winner 

Rincón Catracho

Results: Community Polling and Judges' Tasting

Beef & Rice Empanada 

Chicken Empanada 

Best Filling: Mexico Restaurant & Bar

Best Crust: Sabor Salvadoreno

Best Presentation: Rincon Catracho 

Best Overall: Sabor Salvadoreno 

About the Empanada Challenge 

The empanadas we enjoy in this community are said to have originated in Galicia, Spain. They made their first appearance in the Western Hemisphere in the kitchens of Argentina from northern Spain immigrants. The name comes from the Spanish verb empanar, which means to wrap in bread. These delicious stuffed pastries could be fried or baked and stuffed with sweet or savory fillings. During celebrations, empanadas' convenient pocketed shaped pastries has a universal love among all.

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With the completion of the Chelsea Neighborhood Plan earlier this month, organizers wanted to continue to engage the community by implementing projects that reflected their priorities.

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Supporting local businesses and highlighting diversity were two of the top goals, and to that end, ACDEVCO and the Chelsea Economic Development Corporation are sponsoring this inaugural empanada contest.

We are excited and proud to kick off Chelsea Neighborhood’s first ever, food contest- The Best Empanada Challenge, decided from the offerings of ten competing neighborhood restaurants.

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Every Day in the month of August 2020 is an opportunity for food lovers to visit each of the restaurants participating in the challenge, during regular business hours, and buy an empanada of their choosing from the menu.

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The goal is to try out one or more empanadas from each of the participating restaurants and then vote for your favorite selection here on the Chelsea EDC website.

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The contest and voting begin at the start of business on Saturday, August 1st, 2020 and ends at the close of business on Monday, August 31, 2020.

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The winner will be announced online on Tuesday, September 1st, 2020.

The Competing Restaurants 

The restaurants participating as challengers for the Best Empanada in Chelsea Neighborhood, Atlantic City, New Jersey, are well known and frequented by neighborhood residents and workers.

Chelsea’s many Latin and South American restaurants are truly multi-cultural, reflecting the flavors and customs of El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Peru, Honduras, and Colombia.

The challenge also introduces the restaurants to those outside the neighborhood looking for authentic Latin food as well as a rich, vibrant, multicultural local experience. 

Dine al fresco – outdoors – in the August summer sun or order to go! All participating restaurants are COVID-19 compliant. This means they follow best practice COVID-19 guidelines and requirements. The competing restaurants are:

Virtual Map Location