The Papole Foods Story
From Mortgage Broker to Master Baker
How Alex Moncada turned a 50-year-old family recipe into Chicago’s most original gluten-free hand pie.
The Origin
A Recipe Worth Perfecting
Alex Moncada is not who you would expect to be behind one of Chicago’s most talked-about food inventions. A self-described “finance person,” he spent years running a small mortgage company and flipping houses. Food was not part of the plan.
But a 50-year-old family recipe — his mother’s fried Mexican picadillo beef empanadas — pulled him in a different direction. He spent three years perfecting a gluten-free butter crust before launching Papole Foods in 2020.
“I used my mom’s empanadas as my gold standard. Everything had to be as good as that — or I wasn’t going to sell it.”
Alex Moncada, Founder
The Product
What Makes It Different
The Original Empanoli® — part empanada, part ravioli — is baked never fried, Celiac-safe, and made without GMOs, hormones, antibiotics, MSG, or artificial ingredients. Every batch is small. Every piece is folded and sealed by hand.
Moncada started at Chicago’s farmers markets — Logan Square, Lincoln Square, Horner Park, Ravenswood, Park Ridge — and the concept was covered by WTTW Chicago. Today, Papole Foods delivers directly to Chicago homes.
Ready to try the Original Empanoli?
Delivered fresh to your door anywhere in the City of Chicago.