Andrea Karina Cacho and her husband, Leonardo Gigante, opened Del Campo Empanadas when the demand for her empanadas outgrew what she could produce from her home kitchen.

“I was on my neighborhood Facebook page, and a lady was selling pies,” Cacho said. “I said, ‘I would like to buy a pie and help her out.’ Then I said, ‘Oh! I can make empanadas!’”

For the next two years, her home business continued to grow, and in 2020 they opened their first Del Campo Empanadas in Fort Worth. They opened their second location Feb. 4, 2023, in Flower Mound.

What’s in a name?

Cacho said she chose the business name because "campo" translates to "countryside" in English.


“I am from Buenos Aires, which is a big city, but my mom was born and raised on a farm,” she said. “My happiest childhood memories are when my father said, ‘OK, today is Friday, let’s go to the farm. Vamos al Campo!’”

A long time coming

Before Daneye Quigley became the business manager of Del Campo Empanadas, she employed Cacho as a housecleaner. Their business and friendship relationship has been intertwined since 2013.

“We used to have coffee at a little coffee shop by my house and she [Cacho] said, ‘I’d love one day to have a place like this to sell my empanadas,’” Quigley said.


“I cleaned her house, and she was my boss,” Cacho said.

“Now she’s my boss,” Quigley said with a smile.

On the menu

Cacho grew up making empanadas, which she said is a staple food in Argentina.


She created recipes for all the empanada fillings, including Argentine-style beef, ham and cheese, spinach, pineapple cream cheese, Banutella, and many more.

“They bring spices, like oregano, from Argentina,” Quigley said. “Because of the geography of our countries, the oregano tastes different than say from Italy. Somebody from Argentina that grew up with these flavors will recognize them.”

Craving empanadas?

Upon noticing their parking lot was consistently busier in the morning than in the evening, Cacho decided to alter their hours where they would be open for breakfast at 7 a.m. and close at 6 p.m.


“A good thing about empanadas is they don’t have a time of day,” Cacho said. “You can eat empanadas all day.”