On a bright, sunny day, there’s nothing like getting out and exploring your neighborhood – especially when your neighborhood is Los Angeles!

We love going to the Farmers Market, that historic area full of food vendors and tiny shops. My favorite stop there, aside from lunch at Monsieur Marcel, is Nonna’s.

This time, we sampled three of their savory empanadas, adding tons of their famous chimichurri with each bite. Incredible!

The original beef is ground beef, red peppers, green olives, egg, and onion. The green olives make it taste a little like picadillo, a classic South American and Cuban flavor.

The Philly cheesesteak actually tasted like cheesesteak, no small feat when cramming all of that flavor into a four inch long empanada.

The star, for me, was the Filipino chicken empanada. A true taste of home, with chicken, carrots, onions, and raisins, this empanada is comforting and not at all exotic, despite what many think of ethnic food. My boyfriend, whose palate is quite like mine even though he’s super white, said that it reminded him of chicken soup. I think we found a winner! (The empanada – I already know Magneto is the best.)

Get out there an explore your neighborhoods, my friends. You just might stumble upon something fantastic.