Three generations. One recipe. The real deal.

It started at his parents' restaurant

Richard Porras grew up in the kitchen at Motivos, his parents' family restaurant in Toronto. As a young boy, he worked alongside two competing chefs — each with their own closely guarded family recipe for Colombian empanadas.

One Saturday, when Richard was just 13, both chefs called in sick. His father turned to him: “You're up.” Instead of picking one recipe, Richard did something no one expected — he combined the best of both.

Customers that night called them “the best empanadas they'd ever eaten.” From that day forward, Richard was Motivos' empanada maker. He called his creation “Richard's Super Empanada.”

The recipe that wouldn't stay quiet

When his parents closed Motivos in 2012, Richard moved into corporate life. But the requests kept coming. Friends, former customers, colleagues — everyone wanted those empanadas.

Richard spent years perfecting the recipe on the side, catering events and pop-ups. After a standout summer at Toronto's farmer's market in 2019, he made his decision: leave corporate behind and dedicate himself to the craft full-time.

Real Empanada was born — a family-run business committed to making authentic Colombian empanadas accessible to everyone, using fresh, locally sourced ingredients.