Empanada for a Dream

Downtown on Allen Street everybody’s blasting music – bacchata, merengue and salsa. Everybody’s cooking – plantains, paella, and empanadas. Boys play baseball and football on the street while the most beautiful girl watches from a window. In his living memoir, Empanada For A Dream, Juan Francisco Villa uncovers the treasures of his family’s dark legacy in the streets of New York’s Lower East Side. A poignant and funny portrait of family and neighborhood – set against a secret that destroys it all. An inspiring tale about growing up by getting out and coming back, home. Winner of the 2012 ITBA Award for “Outstanding Solo Performance.”