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Tampa Bakes Empanadas



Photo Credit: Brigitte P via Yelp

Tampa Bay Elites are used to gathering around tables in restaurants, but this past Thursday, May 7th, Tampa Bay Elites gathered around computers in kitchens for a lesson in love and award winning empanadas. 

The lesson came from Tampa’s very own chef team, Ricardo and Rosana. The dynamic duo is famous locally for their contribution to Tampa’s foodie scene, and nationally for appearing on Season 22 of Beat Bobby Flay. Chef Rosana went on to beat Bobby with her signature beef empanada. 


Guests were given the option to bake or fry their empanadas.

The chefs kept guests laughing and engaged, all while carefully instructing the roping technique to close the empanadas. They gave the inside scoop on all the creative scoops to fill an empanada, and indulged all burning questions about appearing on The Food Network. 

Chef Rosana and Chef Ricardo follow three values in business and life: love it, share it, and learn it. Chef Rosana reminded the Tampa Bay Yelp Elite Squad how important “sharing it” is, and the value of their words in the reviews they share to Yelp for business owners like herself. Online community means so much these days especially. Tampa Bay Elites savored more than just delicious empanadas on Thursday evening, they savored the chance to connect as a Squad once again. 

You can read more about this exclusive and unique experience on Yelp at Elite Experience: Tampa Bakes Empanadas. Also, be sure to catch Chef Rosana and Chef Ricardo’s episode of Beat Bobby Flay airing again on The Food Network on May 14th at 7:30pm | 6:30pm Central.


An incredible thanks goes to Chef Rosana Rivera and Chef Ricardo. Together the chefs own and operate multiple popular concepts in Tampa including Kofe and Xilo Mexican at The Hall on Franklin. Most recently in response to the pandemic, the pair has shifted focus to a catering concept called R2 Provisions (“R Squared” for Ricardo and Rosana…cute isn’t it?).

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