BATAVIA – Juliana Cancelo and her mother Silvia Sanchez are sharing their love of Argentine cuisine with their fellow Batavians.

The two Batavia women have opened Bocaditos Argentine Café in the downtown at 109 E. Wilson St., offering fresh, flavorful carry-out food for people on-the-go looking for an authentic experience.

“It’s all food that we’ve been making in our home all these years, and we just decided to go for it,” Cancelo said.

“We picked Batavia because we’re from here and we want to be part of the reason that people spend their money in downtown Batavia,” she said.

At the heart of the menu are the Argentine empanadas. These baked, flaky, hand-held pastries are stuffed with a variety of fillings, including beef, chicken, spinach or corn.

“In Argentina they are everywhere,” Cancelo said.

Sanchez came to Batavia many years ago when her husband’s work at Fermilab enticed the couple from their native Argentina.

Cancelo was born and raised here, graduating from Batavia High School in 2008. She has visited her parents’ homeland often, infusing her with Argentine culture.

It shows in the bright equestrian-themed décor of the shop and the welcoming atmosphere Cancelo and Sanchez show their customers.

“Our food is very accessible,” Cancelo said.

The food is healthy too, with nothing fried and minimal use of cooking oil.

“The idea is to keep everything fresh,” Sanchez said. “It is food with a flavor, in an artisan way. I think we’re changing the culture here.”

Baked in a giant convection oven and then kept warm, “empanadas are always ready,” Sanchez said.

Unique salads, including a tasty combination of shredded carrots and corn, also are on the menu, as well as the Argentine take on potato salad.

"It’s very different from American potato salad,” Cancelo said.

Sandwiches are available on the weekend and when cold weather arrives the eatery will be ladling out Argentine stews to go.

And then there are the postres – assorted desserts and pastries – to round out the menu.

Finally, herbal teas and specialty coffees, espressos and lattes add to the authentic taste.

Shelves display packaged cookies, crackers, teas and coffees imported from Argentina through a specialty distributor in Chicago.

Jars of cachafaz, a spreadable caramel for use on crackers, line the front counter.

“It’s like our version of peanut butter,” Cancelo said.

Cancelo said she wants to be environmentally conscious and is encouraging customers to bring their own reusable containers.

Bocaditos is open from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Orders for pick-up may be placed online, over the telephone or in person.

The carry-out café has been open for only a few weeks but the unique menu has been attracting attention.

The empanadas were a hit at Batavia MainStreet’s recent Cocktails in the Park event and Cancelo said catering orders for weddings and other events are now coming in.

The Batavia Chamber of Commerce has scheduled a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Bocaditos at 4 p.m. on Aug. 28.

Bocaditos is located on the ground floor of the building at 109 E. Wilson St., midway between North River Street and North Washington Avenue in downtown Batavia. The telephone number is 630-937-4002. The website address is https://bocaditos.cafe.