At the 2026 Event
Set up at the Father's Day Waterfront Festival vendor market on race day, serving gluten-free Colombian empanadas, chicharrón, and sausages.
Real Empanada is a family-run Colombian food business born from a standout summer at a Toronto farmers’ market in 2019. Built on three generations of family recipes, the company has grown from that market stall into a restaurant, manufacturer, and distributor of authentic Colombian empanadas, with a kitchen in Woodbridge serving Toronto and the GTA.
Every empanada is hand-crafted with a gluten-free corn shell and halal-certified proteins, made fresh daily. Alongside the empanadas come Mama’s Salsa — the family-recipe accompaniment — plus arepas, buñuelos, and tropical paletas. At the festival they added chicharrón and sausages to the menu, and you’ll still find them at farmers’ markets across the GTA, including right here in Oakville.
On race day, Real Empanada set up at the Father’s Day Waterfront Festival vendor market, feeding hungry finishers and families as the 2026 Mercedes-Benz Oakville Bronte Harbour Classic 5K wrapped up along the harbour.
Why we love having them at the Classic
Hot, handheld, and gluten-free by design — empanadas are close to perfect post-race food, and Real Empanada's are the real deal. A family business that started at a Toronto farmers' market and grew into a GTA staple felt right at home at a race built by a running club.
— The Bronte Harbour Classic race team
Fun factEvery empanada is naturally gluten-free — a corn-shell recipe passed down through three generations — and their Instagram bio stakes a bold claim: creator of the Chopped Cheese Arepa.
For our runners
Taste the real deal
Follow Real Empanada to catch them at markets across Toronto and the GTA — their Colombian empanadas and Mama's Salsa are also at realempanada.com.