OBRA HandBakery is the undisputed king of empanadas in Long Beach. They’ve done so by building up a decade-long patronage and online following, generating genuinely viral moments for the space.
However, the inner entrepreneurial spirit of owners Luz Torres and Chef Cesar Villarreal cannot be tamed. Despite overwhelming success, they want to not rest on their laurels. And for any hard-working Colombian who has made the trek to the States, that means expansion. For both of them, it is not just about searching for a suitable space; it is outright in their blood.
How OBRA HandBakery was birthed out of a bistro and a pandemic
OBRA HandBakery was originally Cesar’s Bistro, which opened in 2014. At the time—and, to be frank, to this very day in a particular sense—Latin American food beyond Mexican cuisine was widely panned or outright nonexistent. In a sense, Cesar’s Bistro helped Long Beach to discover the foods south of the Mexican border—but when the pandemic hit, the entire idea of a bistro had to immediately shift, prompting Luz and Chef Cesar to focus on easy to-go items. And that meant empanadas.
“It really was a think-fast-and-now moment for us,” Luz said. “Some people truly believed it was only going to last a few months but Cesar and myself couldn’t quite get on that page with them. As the first few weeks then became many months, we decided to focus on the empanadas and rebrand as OBRA Handbakery.”
OBRA Handbakery stems from a rich lineage of food and entrepreneurship in Colombia
“Chef Cesar and myself, we come from families and careers deeply steeped in food culture,” Luz said. “And I know many people might not notice but there’s a reason we say, ‘Handbakery’ over just ‘bakery.’ Like the food we came from at home, everything here is made by hand.”
Luz comes from a family rich in Colombian food history centered in Bucaramanga. Celebrating 30 years of service this year, her family has owned and operated La Chispa al Rojo. They do rotisserie and fried chicken and have ultimately built up a brand with hundreds of employees across multiple locations. And on top of this? Following her brother’s trip to Italy, the family decided to tackle gelato in Colombia in 2014, opening La Milkeria, which has become popular enough to have multiple locations as well.
And Chef Cesar? He has found himself the executive chef of kitchens around the world, from Brazil and Perú to Argentina and Colombia, his native country.
The marriage of Latin American with the blank canvas that is an empanada
Their culturally rich experiences were reflected in their inaugural menu when Luz and Chef Cesar opened Cesar’s Bistro. Plates of Peruvian lomo saltado and Jamaican jerk fish sat directly next to classic Colombian Calentao and Argentinian Gaucho Chicken. And though massive plates aren’t around anymore, the spirit of the bistro moves forward with OBRA in ways that are business-smart, consumer-satisfying, and economically viable.
And it is primarily through their empanadas (which account for a staggering 65% of the space’s sales), followed by their OBRA Balls, made-to-order sandwiches, scratch-made pastries, cookies, cakes, and coffee drinks.
For their empanadas, they offer a variety of options, including a Cuban version, a ropa vieja-stuffed one, jalapeño with queso, BBQ pork, and a magnificently seasoned chicken curry empanada that was originally a special but has become a regular menu item. You can purchase them baked and ready to enjoy or frozen to bake at home, which is convenient for baking as needed. (However, if it’s during the holidays, be sure to plan ahead—hundreds of orders come through over the weeks.) Plus, you’ll always receive two free empanadas with every dozen you buy.
Their sweets—like the perfectly not-too-sweet almond-guava cookie cake? All made in-house on the daily and pair perfectly with their coffee offerings.
The OBRA balls, massive rounds of stuffed mashed potato balls that are breaded and fried? Far superior and crispier to some in the market. OBRA’s version is also deeply savory and, perhaps best, happily oozes with melted cheese.
Taking OBRA Handbakery to the next level is essential for Luz and Chef Cesar
“I believe my dad is guiding us—and our success has truly been a gift from God,” Luz said. “I really believe that… And I know he wants to see OBRA grow and achieve even more success.”
She notes that her trips to Colombia have become monthly endeavors since his unexpected early passing. That is a taxing reality but essential and the result has been both rewarding and inspirational.
“La Milkeria has become a genuinely wild success down there,” Luz said. “We’ve already got top-notch ice cream equipment imported from Italy, so we’re ready to integrate our own ice cream recipe into our next venture, which will be OBRA Handbakery & Ice Cream.”
And it’s not just the addition of gelato that OBRA wants to tackle. They are in desperate need of another location—from a space and brand angle. Their just-shy-of-900-square-foot space is packed for an operation that sells thousands of empanadas weekly. Even more, they know they could succeed in different places, whether south to Orange County or in Long Beach. Alongside this expansion, they plan to keep their original location, which they truly love and appreciate for the community they’ve built. They are deeply grateful for the loyalty and continued support they’ve received.
OBRA Handbakery is located at 6240 E. Pacific Coast Hwy., where the highway meets Loynes Dr.
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