Foodie Friday: Savory Crust takes flavors of the Philippines on the road
CHICAGO (CBS) – For this Foodie Friday, we take a look at how two sisters started a food truck after receiving life-changing news.
The stream's Jamaica Ponder joined Savory Crust owner Geri Hernandez at their Carol Stream location as they hit the road toward National Health University.
Savory Crust started with Geri and her sister, Jen, selling empanadas in their hometown of Morton Grove in 2017.
"The truck actually is it is a third location," Geri said.
The restaurant, the truck - they weren't originally part of the plan, but really, none of this was.
"No, actually, I'm a corporate recruiter," she says laughing.
The career shift came after she received a cancer diagnosis in 2015.
"And opening up a restaurant probably really wasn't on the top of my mind," Geri said. "But during chemo, my sister and I were talking about recipes and locations, and my sister says, 'Well, why don't we start an empanada shop?'"
She figured, why not?
"You know, it probably will give me something to do and keep me distracted, really mainly was the real reason that I participated in the idea," she said.
Starting with empanadas was an obvious choice for the sisters.
"So my sister actually was developing dough," Geri said.
It's a family favorite in their Filipino American household.
"Empanadas are from, you know, different countries," she said. "So, empanada means wrapped in dough. And so, you know, everyone has a dumpling, a pierogi, and we have empanadas."
The food is a residual of the Spanish colonization of the islands.
"When the Spanish came with their influence, they also came with their food," Geri said.
The whole menu is an ode to Filipino flavors, expanded to include rice bowls, wings, and churros.
Though Savory Crust may have begun as a distraction, but...
"It also brought the communities together and it brought people together," Geri said.
Both in-store and on the road.
"A lot of people have followed us through our own journey," she said.
And they keep coming back for more.
"So that's, you know, probably the main reason why we do it.," Geri said. "You think you're all alone, but you're not.
