Woman embraces move toward selling packaged meals
ARCADIA—Sylvia Pa pit os admits she is a bit homesick for her restaurant patrons, but she's loving her new pandemic- induced venture as a vendor at the Arcadia Farmers Market General Store.
“I do miss my customers, but it' s fun to get out and visit with other people I never would have had a chance to meet ,” said Papitos, who temporarily closed her restaurant in Dibble in September and now delivers packaged meals to farm- to- table stores in Goldsby, Edmond and Oklahoma City, as well as Arcadia.
Pa pit os Restaurant enchiladas are sold by the dozen, with options such as red beef, green chicken, red cheese, vegan poblano pepper and spinach and vegan squash and bell pepper.
Salsa, chile con queso, and rice and beans are sold in 16-ounce tubs, and homemade flour tortillas and corn tortilla chips are also available.
Papitos, who lives in Purcell, opened her restaurant in July 2019 after spotting an empty building in Dibble while visiting a friend.
“My mother owns a restaurant in Texas,” she said. “I was an accountant, but that is not my gift. I decided to use my talent wisely. I had worked at corporate accounting jobs and didn't really care for it.”
Papitos said she does all the cooking, and she employs a crew of high school girls to help with the production end of preparing the food for delivery. She makes all the deliveries except on Saturdays, when her daughter helps out.
COVID-19 caused her to lose about 75% of her restaurant business, Papitos said, so she's happy to have found viable markets for her Made-in-Oklahoma food.
Most of the items sold at t he Arcadia Farmers Market General Store are grown or made i n central Oklahoma, manager Lori Seagraves said. The shelves are stocked with
locally raised meat, whole milk from a family dairy, farm-fresh eggs, cheese, local honey, and colorful jars of home-canned pickles, relish and jam.
Also available are i nseason produce, specialty teas, gourmet coffee, skin care products, gluten-free f l our and bread mixes, Butcher Barbecue sauces and rubs, and maple and chocolate candy. Some of the vendors donate a portion of their proceeds
to charitable causes.
The Arcadia Farmers Market General Store is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Odor Street and historic Route 66 in the Windmill Shops. For more information, call 405-226-0346 or check the market's social media pages.