Joy Empanadas

Patricia M. Jorge comes from a long lineage of cooks. Her grandmother owned a successful street cart business for 30 years in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic. Patricia would help her grandmother season the food after school as a child and she quickly developed a passion for cooking.

Patricia came to MCCI in January 2019. She shared with the MCCI staff her dream of opening a unique eat-n-go eatery of authentic Latin food in a modern and fun atmosphere. Some of Patricia's challenges were a lack of access to capital and education to plan for and run a new business effectively.

MCCI helped Patricia write a business plan and develop financial projections to qualify for a community loan through the Lawrence Venture Fund for $70,000 to purchase equipment, outfit a space, and to help launch her business. Patricia also took advantage of MCCI's bookkeeping course, which qualified her for a $1,000 technology grant to purchase a POS system to track her sales, inventory, and cash flow.

Patricia officially opened Joy Empanadas on November 1st, 2019, and now employs five individuals, including Patricia, her mother, and her sister.