Small Business Spotlight: Boludo
Saturday, January 9, 2021 at 6:03AMArticle by Becky Fillinger
Chef Facundo De FraiaWhere can you get mouthwatering pizza and empanadas, in the same restaurant? Check out Boludo – coming soon to the Mill District. We talked to Chef Facundo De Fraia about plans for his second location, his Argentinian childhood memories, and the secret to his buttery and flaky doughs.
Q: Welcome to East Town! What should we look for in your second Boludo location, opening soon at 530 S 4th Street?
A: Boludo Downtown will bring the same menu options as our Nicollet location. The Downtown location has more space for social distancing and for people to be indoors while waiting for their orders. With the opening of the new location, we will be launching our new website www.boludo.com (coming soon), which will make online ordering much easier.
Q: Facundo, we love to tell the immigration stories of our local entrepreneurs. You are originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Please tell us about your journey to Minneapolis.
A: In 2017 I came to Minnesota from San Diego, where I had an Argentinian restaurant called Che Calavera, to help my childhood friend Daniel Del Prado in the opening of his restaurant, Martina. After showcasing the empanadas in his menu, I opened Boludo Nicollet. It’s been an amazing 3-year ride to be here in Minneapolis and share my food with these wonderful people.
I became I permanent resident in March 2004 and am filing for U.S. citizenship this year. I didn’t apply for citizenship before because I would have had to give up my Argentinian citizenship to become a U.S. citizen. Two years ago, that law changed and now you can have dual citizenship.
Q: The Star Tribune called you "the dough whisperer." What is the secret to your buttery and flaky empanada crusts?
A: The most important ingredient is love. Working with dough requires a lot of attention, good energy and presence. Experience is also very important. You need to understand how to handle the dough and know whether it needs more or less water. As for water, the key is ice cold water. And the last thing is quality ingredients such as unbleached flour.
Q: What is your earliest food memory?
A: My earliest memory of food is helping my grandma – my abuela - cook in her house in Buenos Aires. I must’ve been six years old. It’s such a beautiful memory. She used to sing tango and had a beautiful voice. The cooking together, her singing, the sun coming in from the window...it’s one of my favorite memories. The energy and love that she put into her cooking was absolutely contagious. That’s how I fell in love with cooking.
Facundo cooking with his grandmother
Q: For customers new to Boludo, what do you recommend on their first visit?
A: For your first visit and every visit after that, please come in with positive energy. We don’t allow bad energy at Boludo! Then, I would recommend trying one pizza and one empanada.
Q: How may we follow your news?
A: Please follow our Instagram account. All our latest news is there. Come visit us Tuesday through Sunday 11am to 9pm. Gracias totales!
