KJZZ is a service of Rio Salado College,
and Maricopa Community Colleges

Copyright © 2025 KJZZ/Rio Salado College/MCCCD
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Wapanada: The Mash-Up Of Waffle And Empanada

Wapanada
(Photo by Sarah Ventre - KJZZ)
Jospeh Cuevas, the Valley chef who owns Greater Than Coffee, invented the wapanada.

Food mash-ups are nothing new, but this one is. It’s the wapanada – a mashup of a waffle and empanada. It was created in Phoenix.

Phoenix New Times food contributor and dining critic Patricia Escarcega spoke about the unique food item. KJZZ’s Sarah Ventre also tried the wapanada.

Joseph Cuevas is the chef who created the Frankenstein food we now know as the wapanada. He sells the item at his coffee shop, Greater Than Coffee, just east of downtown Phoenix.

Sarah Ventre was a producer for KJZZ's The Show from 2014 to 2018.