I first came across Arepas by B when a friend showed me their mouthwatering Instagram feed. It’s packed with Venezuelan food porn and the real blessing is that it’s all available locally, right here in Tallahassee. Arepas by B may only be six weeks old, but business is already booming, promising a bright future for owner Biagnette Del Castillo. B is a Miami native who is transferring to Florida State to study athletic training. When she arrived in Tallahassee a couple years ago she noticed what a lack of authentic Venezuelan food there was available here, despite the large Hispanic population that Tally is home to. After expressing her concerns to her family, Biagnette’s mom suggested that she start her own business from the ground up.
B has been in the kitchen since she was young and was always the cook of the house back home in Miami, so starting a food business came naturally to her. B credits her grandma for teaching her copious amounts of traditional Venezuelan dishes, such as arepa pabellon, which is an arepa containing beef, cheese, black beans, and plantains. I mean, come on, how good does that combination sound? And that’s just one of the many variations of arepas that B offers.
On our visit with her we also got to try her arepa of the month, the Queen B. First off, the nod to Beyoncé already had me intrigued, but then when I actually tried the arepa, wow. The green sauce that B makes herself is amazing and paired with shredded chicken, two types of cheese, and plantains, this arepa is definitely a showstopper. We also got to try some of B’s cheese empanadas which, of course, were equally as delicious. Thinking back on, dipping the cheese empanadas in one of B’s homemade sauces, like her garlic or green sauce, would have brought them up to an even higher level of heavenly.
Besides being an amazing cook, B also loves to bake *rejoices*. The other week she whipped up a vanilla cake with whipped cream and powdered sugar. Another dessert that she’s planning on adding to her menu is golfeados, which she described as being similar to a Cinnabon cinnamon roll but with a thick slice of cheese on top. Is anyone else shook?
Currently, Biagnette is working on expanding her young business and hopes one day to own a store front and sell her creations from there instead of her apartment. She has also considered purchasing a food truck, once she has the means, and setting up shop at events such as Food Truck Friday. However, she definitely aims to cater to college students in that she would even consider parking her food truck outside places like Coliseum on the weekends to help satisfy everyone’s drunchies. Just imagine getting an arepa at 2 am after clubbing, life changing.
However, for now, B is working out of her apartment which is right off of Tennessee Street in the West 10 complex. Her business hours are typically 3:30 to 9 P.M. on weekdays and on Fridays and Saturdays she is open until 2 A.M., which she says is when most of her business comes in. You can call or text her to order at (305)-733-6855. Also, be sure to follow her on Instagram, @arepasbyb, for updates on her hours of operations and most importantly to keep up with all of the insanely delicious dishes she has cooking daily.