The times when tofu was the most exciting thing in a vegan diet are over. It’s 2022, and plant-based alternatives to otherwise meat-based products are nothing new. There are tons of different brands, lines, and products coming out every year. Whether they be vegan chicken nuggets, fish fingers, or burger patties.
But did you know that the entrepreneur and star of Selling Sunset, Emma Leigh Hernan, has her own food line? The brand launched in 2020 and is called Emma Leigh & Co. And it is 100% vegan – currently offering two plant-based empanada options!
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Emma Leigh & Co
Emma Leigh does a bit of everything – she is a model, entrepreneur, investor, real estate agent, and CEO. Most people know her for her role in the Netflix show Selling Sunset. However, if you are a vegan, you might have heard of her vegan frozen food brand
Emma has a passion for cooking, and the food industry is nothing new for her. Hernan’s grandfather founded a locally-owned, third-generation family business Yankee Trader Seafood back in 1994. A new brand was born after experimenting in her own kitchen with different recipes and flavors, inspired by her healthy lifestyle and combined with her entrepreneur skills. Named after herself, Emma Leigh & Co launched a couple of years ago, in 2020.
Emma Leigh Vegan food – empanada
While the family-business Yankee Trader Seafood is the opposite of vegan-friendly, Emma decided to go down a different route. Hernan sees the benefits of plant-based foods and understands a vegan diet’s positive impact on health and wellness. So, it made sense to her to make her brand entirely vegan-friendly.
Emma Leigh & Co is a frozen food brand specializing in empanadas. Why empanadas? Emma fell in love with the Spanish dish on her trip to Puerto Rico. And the young entrepreneur realized that while there are loads of different frozen vegan products on the market – there is a shortage of vegan frozen empanadas.
There are currently two options available by Emma Leigh & Co (and no Vegan Frozen Onion Rings yet), and hopefully, many more to come. So, what flavors are currently on the market and available for us to try?
- Plant-based Mini Beef Empanadas – If you have tried Beyond Meat before, you are familiar with the juicy, meaty flavor. These mini empanadas are stuffed with Beyond Meat, Daiya dairy-free cheddar cheese, salsa, and taco seasoning. The pack includes 18 little empanadas, throw them in the oven or an air fryer for 10 minutes, and they are ready to be demolished.
- Sausage Pizza Empanadas – Love pizza and love empanadas? These are for you! Beyond Sausage, vegan mozzarella shred, and pizza sauce are stuffed in these empanadas. They are full of flavor and perfectly cheesy. Just like the beef ones, a pack contains 18 empanadas.
Emma partnered up with the well-known brand Beyond Meat to make these delicious empanadas. It makes sense, considering that Hernan and Beyond Meat believe that incorporating plant-based protein in our diets has a positive impact on human health, climate change, constraints on natural resources, and animal welfare.
Where to buy Emma Leigh & Co?
If you are yet to try these empanadas – do yourself a favor and get a box of each flavor! The list of stores that currently stock them is the following.
- Roche Bros
- Stew Leonard’s
- Market Basket
- Shaw’s Supermarket
- Select Costco locations
Next time you find yourself in one of those supermarkets, keep your eyes open for the vegan empanadas. Or you can order them from GTFO it’s vegan (currently sold out, but you can join the waiting list) or QVC.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where to buy Emma Leigh & Co vegan food?
Their products are available at Roche Bros, Stew Leonard’s, Market Basket, Shaw’s Supermarket, and certain Costco locations.