South America Bakery & Cafe

STORY AND PHOTOS BY MABEL SUEN

In St. Charles County, a well-traveled pastry chef brings the wealth of his culinary experiences to a casual O’Fallon, Missouri, storefront that specializes in traditional South American baked goods. With South America Bakery & Cafe, chef Luigi Guzman and his wife, Kathryn, offer sweet and savory specialties, including alfajores and empanadas.

Guzman, who is Peruvian-Chilean, studied culinary arts and worked at two restaurants in his native country of Peru. He has also lived in Venezuela and Brazil and has traveled to almost every country in South America. After moving to the United States, he continued his journey in the food industry and worked his way up in kitchens.

In 2017, he and his wife began selling alfajores, or dulce de leche-filled shortbread sandwich cookies, at various farmers markets in the area. “The way they melt in your mouth makes them special,” Guzman says. He added his signature empanadas to the menu shortly thereafter. When the pandemic made business for markets more difficult in 2020, the Guzmans started hashing out plans for their first full-fledged brick-and-mortar business, which debuted in October 2021.

At South America Bakery, Luigi demonstrates the full range of his pastry prowess by whipping up buttery, crisp treats with a variety of fillings. His milhojas, for instance, feature puff pastry filled with your choice of dulce de leche or crema pastelera (pastry cream), while his apple trenza includes a slightly sweet, flaky pastry enveloping an apple filling. Guzman is also always adding new items he loves to the menu, such as leche asada, which is a flan-like dessert.

Perhaps most popular are the Guzmans’ savory empanadas. Fried varieties include a Black Forest ham empanada with gooey mozzarella cheese, while baked options include top sirloin steak, slow-cooked shredded pork and ground beef. Each includes Peruvian peppers, an olive and part of a hard-boiled egg, all wrapped in pastry.

When asked what makes an ideal empanada, Luigi replies, “Freshness is key. That has to be No. 1. Then, you need a highquality dough and a high-quality, delicious filling.”

His chicken empanada encapsulates these elements. He takes a traditional Peruvian dish called aji de gallina and puts it in a comforting handheld package filled with shredded chicken and a creamy cheese sauce. Pair it with the house chicha morada – a fruity drink made with spices and purple corn – and delicate alfajores for an exceptional South American culinary experience.

South America Bakery & Cafe, 4279 Keaton Crossing Blvd., O’Fallon, Missouri, 636-477-6688, southamericabakeryandcafe.com