Made in Indiana: Friends turn 120-year-old recipe into Deep Pocket empanadas

First in an occasional series showcasing Indiana food artisans.

It started with a friendly dinner. Paul Altiery and David Richman, friends and fellow retail sales managers, and their families sat down to enjoy one of Altiery's specialties: empanadas based on a 120-year-old-recipe.

Everyone loved the hand-held treats that Altiery's great-grandmother, Mercedes Vasquez, used to create for her family — which included 14 children and assorted beloved neighborhood kids — in New York City.

This prompted Richman and Altiery to speculate that a business could be built around the empanadas. Before long, the two men were brainstorming names and sketching a sample logo on a napkin (they still have a photo of the results).

That marked the beginning of Deep Pockets Foods, which launched in August. Deep Pockets sells its fresh-to-frozen handmade empanadas at area specialty groceries and neighborhood pubs. Five-inch dough rounds from a local bakery wrap around the duo's sofrito base — a mixture of green pepper, green onion and cilantro — and fillings of ground beef, shredded chicken, ground turkey or vegan Southwest black beans, seasoned with Deep Pocket's blend of spices.

The empanadas are still based on that recipe that's more than a century old, with a twist: They are now all-natural, preservative-free creations, with ingredients purchased from local and state vendors. That was a requirement to land their first big client, Green BEAN Delivery. From a base at Indy's Kitchen, Altiery and Richman began assembling empanadas, then marketing them on their non-cooking days.

All-natural groceries began jumping on the bandwagon; today, Deep Pockets are sold in several area stores and pubs.

"You can tell right away the quality of the ingredients is reflected in the taste," said Nate Roberts, general manager at Pogue's Run Grocer, where frozen packages of four empanadas retail for $8.99. "And they're great guys to work with."

Demand soon exceeded the prep space available at Indy's Kitchen, so Altiery and Richman moved production to their current location, the kitchen at the former Fireside South restaurant. Each week, they churn out a staggering 2,000 to 3,000 empanadas at a pace of 150 per hour.

Altiery and Richman make Deep Pockets their full-time business. While Altiery remains the culinary expert — "I can't even make a grilled-cheese sandwich," joked Richman — the latter partner applies his retail sales experience to help market the product and manage the finances.

"It's a yin-yang balance," Altiery said. "I tell Dave, 'It's my job to push you outside of the box, and it's your job to stuff me back in.' "

The box boundaries themselves are expanding, however. Deep Pockets will make its debut at the Kentucky Derby the first weekend in May, serving the regular menu at concession stands and a special peaches-and-cream dessert version in the suites. Overall, Altiery and Richman expect to sell 15,000 to 30,000 empanadas that weekend.

And as demand for their product grows, they hope to begin out-of-state sales, eventually with the help of new equipment to speed up empanada creation.

Right now, the two make the products themselves, or occasionally ask friends to fill unusually large orders.

"Hands can only do so much," Altiery said.

Don't expect these hometown guys to lose that local touch, however. Pride in their creation drives every empanada they craft.

"I feel like it's me on

a plate," Altiery said. "There's definitely a lot of passion and a lot of love that go into our product."

Where to find Deep Pockets

Prices range from $8.99 to $10.99 for frozen packages of four empanadas. In pubs, prepared empanadas sell for $6 to $9 a pair.

Groceries

Earth Fare Carmel

Georgetown Market

Good Earth Natural Food Co.

Green BEAN Delivery

Joe's Butcher Shop, Carmel

Monon Coffee Company

Moore Corner Store

Nature's Pharm

Pogue's Run Grocery

Area Whole Foods

Pubs

86th Street Pub

Claude and Annie's, Fishers

Mass Ave Pub

PJ O'Keefe's Ale House, Zionsville

Stout House Restaurant and Bar

Taylor's Pub