Pictured: Empanada Folding and Chimichurri Workshop at The Empanada Girl Cafe. Photo by Alex Alfaro.

Stefania Fochi shows a struggling student how to pinch a seam. “It's going to be delicious,” she says, beaming. ”We're not going for perfection."

Ten guests crowd the stainless steel tables in The Empanada Girl's kitchen, crimping dough and comparing tucks. Fochi moves between them, demonstrating five folds, each named for its filling. The spinach. The chicken. That's how she learned. A student raises a finished empanada like a trophy.

Fochi launched evening cooking workshops in June. Beforehand, students gather in the market over a grazing board so nobody gets “hangry.” The filling cooled overnight: raisins added dry to absorb the beef juices, paprika and cumin tossed in the hot pan, olives stirred in last. "When it's warm, it's too soupy," Fochi says. "Makes it so much easier."

Her great-grandparents left Italy for Argentina around the war. "I was raised with this marriage of Italian and Argentine culture," she says. “Hence, the pasta. My parents make that." They opened the shop twelve years ago; her grandmother ran the place until retiring last year. "I'm here now instead." A second workshop covers gnocchi and pesto, more recipes Fochi grew up making.

Between folds, Fochi traces Buenos Aires-style empanadas to 16th-century gauchos, who adopted a portable, protein-packed meal for the fields."Every region has its own," she explains. Hers come baked, flavors ranging from lamb and lentil to steak-n-cheese.

While the oven warms, Fochi grabs a bunch of parsley and demonstrates chimichurri. When the hot pockets emerge, everyone eats together, dipping as they go. Apple pie empanada concludes; students take the unbaked extras home. “Love is the common denominator,” Fochi says. New classes go up on The Empanada Girl's socials. Bring a Malbec.

The Empanada Girl, Mon-Fri 9:30am-6pm, Sat 9:30am-4pm, Sun 9:30am-3pm, 4141 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, 941-870-2729, empanadagirl.com

Pictured: Empanada Folding and Chimichurri Workshop at The Empanada Girl Cafe. Photo by Alex Alfaro.