Nelly's Artisan Argentinian Empanadas opens in Deer Park

Nelly’s Artisan Argentinian Empanadas has opened its second location, a shop at Tanger Outlets in Deer Park. The new fast casual store next to Christmas Tree Shops features a large, industrial dining space with indoor and outdoor seating anchored by a massive pizza oven. That's where empanadas take a spin inside for a quick warming.

Nelly’s offers the Latin American handheld in 20 ingredient combinations ranging from a classic beef and potato to a playful spinach and artichoke. There are bacon, egg, and cheese empanadas and cheeseburger empanadas. For those who like heat, there’s jerk chicken and spicy buffalo chicken varieties. All empanadas are made in the baked Argentine style rather than fried.

Owner Nelly Mourelle is a former guidance counselor who left her job to make empanadas while providing vocational training for adults within the Winters Center for Autism in West Babylon. The commercial kitchen afforded her a place to prep her food for wholesale clients, the Deep Roots Farmers Market in Glen Cove — where she will return come July.

Mourelle had been looking for her second location ever since she opened West Babylon. “My goal is to open a store every year,” she said from behind the counter. “I did this one in eight months."

Exclusive to Nelly’s new Deer Park location: Pizza. The Roman-style dough, called pinsa, is a light, crispy base for a freshly made tomato sauce piled high with mozzarella cheese and toppings of your choice. A basic pizza will run $9.99 and up to three toppings can be added for $1.99. Empanadas are $5.99 each and boxes of six, 12 or more begin at $29.99.

Although she’s “never leaving West Babylon,” Mourelle has come to see it “more as a production facility and training site.” In Deer Park, which will be staffed by trainees from the Winters Center, Mourelle looks forward to meeting more of her customers’ needs. “Here, I can have more regular hours. Customers who want weekend empanadas can come here. Same with customers from the weekend farmers markets, now they can get my empanadas anytime.”

Nelly's Artisan Argentinian Empanadas, Tanger Outlets, 1088 The Arches Circle, Deer Park, empanadas-nellys.com. Open Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

By Marie Elena Martinez

marieelena.martinez@newsday.com@mariesworlds

A global freelancer who has checked her suitcase to raise her young daughter on her native Long Island, Marie Elena will always make time for good mezcal, even better tacos and killer conversation. Preferably, in a corner bar seat. She can be found on Instagram at @mariesworldeats.