DMV Empanadas pleads for return to Baltimore Farmers’ Market after rejection

Avid fans of the DMV Empanadas food truck and stalls may notice the company’s signature bright yellow tent is missing from this year’s Baltimore Farmers’ Market.

It’s a sore subject for co-owner Michely Almaraz, also known as Nacho, whose 2026 application to participate in the seasonal event was denied by Create Baltimore in March after seven years as a vendor under the Jones Falls Expressway.

Create Baltimore, which organizes the city’s farmers market, did not respond to requests for comment. In a March 4 email to Almaraz, Create Baltimore spokesperson Delaney Cate said the nonprofit opted to include a handful of new vendors this year and that DMV Empanadas could still apply for future seasons or events.

“Don’t hesitate to reach out as the season progresses!” she wrote.

Almaraz said losing a presence at the city’s largest market has taken a toll on his business, which sold about 6,000 empanadas there each month.

“That was our best market,” said Almaraz, whose DMV Empanadas trucks and pop-ups serve customers across Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. “We can’t do anything. It’s very painful because we’ve been there every single year.”

After their application was not approved, DMV Empanadas shared several Instagram posts imploring customers to “please speak up” about the company’s rejection from the city’s farmers market.

“Help bring us back — contact the market today. Your voice matters. Your support can bring us back!” one read.

Almaraz still sells his stuffed pastries in Baltimore at Pratt Street Market on Thursdays and both the Fells Point and 32nd Street farmers markets on Saturdays. After Sunday, they will no longer be at Federal Hill’s Cross Street Market, which Almaraz said was a decision based on limited sales and foot traffic.

Now, Almaraz and his team, including his brother and co-owner, Marco, are facing a significant loss in revenue just as the company planned to expand into its first Baltimore storefront. The 10 N. Calvert St. location, which DMV Empanadas signed a lease for last April, is expected to open between late June and early July.

Almaraz plans to sell a mix of Peruvian and Bolivian food at DMV Empanadas & Latin Kitchen. A range of empanadas will also be available, along with saltados — a Peruvian stir-fry with strips of beef — and fried chicken based on recipes from northern Peru. The space, which will seat up to 25 people, is the the Almaraz family business’s second brick-and-mortar restaurant, with the first opening in 2019 in Gaithersburg.

Almaraz does not expect his absence at the city market to cause delays for the eagerly awaited restaurant. But he’s concerned about how the setback will affect the company, especially amid rising food costs. And he’s still confused as to why his eatery didn’t make the cut at the Baltimore Farmers’ Market.

“The market helped us grow,” he said. “I hope now they can see all the good comments people are making about us.”