Daniel Mercedes Jr. started the business that would become The Dancing Empanda by selling food out of the trunk of his car. “I was looking for a little side hustle to do and I just remember grandma making the empanadas,” Mercedes said. “So that’s what I decided to do. So we talked about it and she gave me the recipes and I started making empanadas and going to barber shops and mechanic shops out of the car and just to see how we grew and they loved it.” At the time, Mercedes was working at a transitional home through the Department of Corrections. He was selling his empanadas on the weekends. “Then once I got to the place where I was making the same as my check, that’s when I decided to give my two weeks’ notice and I ran with that,” he said. “I was very surprised to see that if you put into work, you know, and the product is good, you can make money off of it.” That was eight years ago. Since then, Mercedes has expanded his business into two food trucks — which he’s been running for four years. His wife has also become a part of the business. “The hardest part is what my wife does, which is making the empanadas and also getting us job contracts,” Mercedes said. “I’m driving the food truck — it’s the easiest part — working it is easy because we only have empanadas.” Now, four years into running his food trucks, Mercedes is getting ready to retire. “Now we’re actually selling the business with the recipe, the empanada machine, everything that comes with the business — the name, the brand,” he said. Mercedes has parlayed his success with The Dancing Empanada into purchasing property in North Carolina, which he has outfitted with some tiny homes he plans to use as vacation rentals. “(The Dancing Empanada is) a great business to have is just our journeys over with it,” he said. On the latest episode of Florida Foodie, Mercedes shares more about how he built his business. He also talks about working with his wife and children, as well as his plans for the future. Please follow our Florida Foodie hosts on social media. You can find Candace Campos on Twitter and Facebook. Lisa Bell is also on Facebook and Twitter and you can check out her children’s book, “Norman the Watchful Gnome.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices