Inside Argentum Food, where every empanada is made by hand

In a weatherboard house on Westbury’s main street, a pair of young Argentines have turned a home kitchen into a small business that hums to the rhythm of markets, regulars, and a sauce so beloved one customer said he could drink it. 

Genoveva Cabrera and partner Juan Giusti run Argentum Food from 47 Williams Street, and Cabrera is a trained chef who has cooked for more than seven years. “We love eating. We think food is really important and gets people together,” she says. The pair started modestly with alfajores, classic caramel biscuits, baked for friends who kept asking for more. Demand spread and, two years on, the hobby had a name and a plan. “Last year we went all in and we both quit our jobs and started doing the markets,” Giusti says.

The two regularly attend local markets including Deloraine and Harvest Market in Launceston. The markets have delivered more than sales. It has given them a community of stallholders who swap products and advice. “We often trade everything, we almost don’t have to buy the goods for the week because we traded off in the markets. We have great relationships,” Giusti says. 

That solidarity proved crucial when they sought to bring alfajores alongside empanadas to a market that asks producers to use local ingredients. “It was a bit hard in the beginning, and we had two or three other store holders that stood up for us to help us selling the alfajores,” Cabrera says. “We felt supported because they have tried it before and they liked it and they knew that this is something different.”

Argentum Food’s savoury star is the empanada, often described to curious customers as a “fancy sort of pie”. Everything is handmade. “We make the pastry, we make the filling, we make the sauce. And we take pride in that,” Cabrera says, contrasting the approach with places that use premixes or buy sauces. The house condiment, their take on chimichurri, has become legendary at their stall. “A lot of people love it,” Giusti says. “I had a guy tell me at a market a couple of weekends ago that he could drink the sauce.” Their version uses a tomato base and skips chilli for broader appeal. Cabrera ticked off its backbone: “tomato, garlic, parsley, oregano.”

The menu has evolved with a little help from friends. A visiting Argentine friend who had worked at an empanada shop in Germany shared ideas, including a chimichurri tweak and a very popular cheese and corn empanada. “That empanada is not traditionally from Argentina,” Cabrera says, calling it an adaptation for the local market that sells really well.

While markets bring them to Launceston and beyond, Fridays pull the town to their door. They open from 5pm – 7pm for pick ups, a window of warmth that has been embraced by neighbours who send customers their way. “We had a lot of support from all Westbury people,” Cabrera says, listing the hairdresser, Love Lucy Boots, the post office and other local businesses that steer folks to the house before evening functions. The turning point, she added, was simply being seen. “People wanted to know us, who we are, what’s our story, and I think that changed a little bit.”

Their own story runs from Argentina to New South Wales to Tasmania. They arrived on working holidays, volunteered with BlazeAid after the 2019–2020 bushfires, then moved south for the parks, walks and campsites in 2021. Work took them to Launceston and a berry farm near Westbury, and life drew them into a town that felt right. “It’s quiet. A great sense of community,” Cabrera says.

Now the couple are weighing what comes next. Ideas include asado-style barbecues and a line of ready to eat meals, drawing on Cabrera’s experience back home. “We need to decide if we want to open a restaurant here doing asados, or if we are gonna open something more like a takeaway,” she says, “but definitely keep cooking and running our business.”