Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Ballatt.
Hi Courtney, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My passion for cooking began to take shape in my grandmother’s kitchen an environment defined by flavor, tradition, and intention. That space became my foundation. It was where I first understood that food could carry meaning, memory, and care all at once.
I was raised primarily in East Orange, New Jersey, with time also spent in Roselle and Irvington, but East Orange has always been home. My family had deep roots here my mother once lived on Ellington Street and I grew up on Dodd St. A sense of familiarity and community has remained with me. It shaped not only my upbringing, but the way I understand connection, consistency, and presence within a neighborhood.
I come from a Jamaican background. I was born in the United States, but I was raised in a Caribbean household where food, flavor, and cultural identity were deeply embedded in everyday life. At around fourteen, I spent close to two years living in Jamaica, which gave me a more direct and immersive connection to that part of who I am. I loved it.
That influence continues to shape my palate and perspective. The way I understand seasoning, balance, and depth of flavor is rooted in that upbringing. At the same time, I’m intentional about distinguishing between my cultural foundation and what I’m building through my business. My Jamaican heritage informs me it’s a part of my lens but the culture I’m creating through Courts Empanadas is something I’ve developed through my own experiences, standards, and creative direction.
I was homeschooled my entire life, so I didn’t have a traditional high school experience. College became my first exposure to a structured social environment. Prior to building Courts Empanadas, I worked as a preschool teacher in West Caldwell. I’ve always felt a natural connection to children something that still holds weight for me and remains a part of my future in some capacity.
My introduction to empanadas was simple, I genuinely loved them. There was a corner store on Dodd Street that sold them regularly, but I often felt they were lacking dry, minimal filling, and missing a certain level of care. That observation became a starting point.
My grandmother’s kitchen became my laboratory. It was the one place where I could step away from everything else and fully immerse myself in the process. She gave me the freedom to explore to make a mess, to experiment, to taste as I went, and to understand cooking beyond structure. That space allowed me to develop a relationship with food that was intuitive, layered, and expressive.
Creating empanadas became less about replicating something and more about building something. I began experimenting with flavors that reflected different parts of my identity and influence. The oxtail and honey jerk chicken are directly tied to my Jamaican background. The garlic shrimp and garlic salmon draw from my appreciation for Italian flavor profiles—simple, intentional, and well-balanced. Flavors like buffalo chicken, veggie, and apple lean into more familiar, American-inspired profiles.
My goal has always been to create a menu that feels expansive but still cohesive one that allows different people to find a point of connection. Not everything is rooted in one culture, and that’s intentional. It reflects both where I come from and how I think creatively.
I created an Instagram page without any strategic intention behind it. It was simply a space to share and have fun. Within a few months, it grew to over 1,000 followers organically, which caught my attention. I decided to sell ,y empanadas for one weekend, and that quickly turned into every weekend. By the summer of 2020, I was operating with consistency and clear demand.
At the time, I was working full-time, which is where my business partner, Andrew Fields, enters the story. He observed my consistency, discipline, and commitment to what I was building. When it was time for us to part ways professionally, we made the decision to transition into business partners. He invested in the physical space and provided guidance and resources that supported the opening of the store. He also gave me the support of a team that helped me navigate the operational side of the process something I remain genuinely grateful for.
Opening the store was complex there wasn’t a single part of the process that came without challenge. Even now, entrepreneurship requires constant problem-solving and adaptability. As a Black woman in this industry, I’ve learned quickly that advocacy is not optional it’s required. You have to be clear, consistent, and unwavering in what you’re building. Nothing is passively given; everything is reinforced through standards and execution.
What adds another layer of meaning is the location itself. The store is situated one street over from where my mother once lived. I used to walk past that exact space as a child and think, “Someone should put something here, it would do really well.” Over time, multiple businesses cycled through that location without longevity, and the neighborhood was aware of it. One of the first things people shared when we opened was that nothing had ever lasted there.
I understood immediately that consistency would be the differentiator. That was never going to be my narrative. When I commit to something, I see it through and if I don’t yet have the answers, I develop them. That standard is the foundation of how I operate.
My story didn’t begin with a formal business plan it began with a clear internal knowing that I was meant to build something of my own. Before Courts Empanadas, my life may have appeared stable from the outside, but internally, I recognized that I was being pulled toward something more aligned, more expansive, and more honest.
Food became the entry point, but what I’m building extends far beyond that. Courts Empanadas is both a business and a reflection of my standards, quality, intention, discipline, and care. Every detail is deliberate, from the product itself to the experience people have when they walk through the door.
The early stages required a level of resilience and self-trust that I had to grow into in real time. There were moments of pressure, uncertainty, and rapid learning, but I remained anchored in the vision. I was never interested in creating something temporary I set out to build something that could stand, scale, and evolve. This is just the beginning for Courts Empanadas.
Where I am now is the result of consistency, standards, and full ownership of the outcome. And I’m still building with intention, with strategy, and with a clear understanding that this is only the beginning.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Another defining aspect of my journey has been navigating this space as a young Black woman. There have been consistent moments where I felt tested not always overtly, but in ways that caused me to question my decisions, my authority, and my direction. Over time, I had to learn how to hold my ground, trust my instincts, and resist internalizing doubt that was never mine to carry.
That required a level of resilience that extends far beyond operations or logistics. It meant choosing to interpret every obstacle, every “no,” and every moment of resistance as redirection rather than rejection. Instead of stepping back, I learned how to recalibrate, identify alternative paths, and continue forward with clarity and control.
My faith in God has been a constant throughout that process. It’s what grounded me in moments of uncertainty and gave me the discipline to keep moving, even when the path wasn’t fully clear. Through prayer and trust, I was able to stay anchored in something greater than the immediate challenges in front of me.
With time, that pressure became formative. It sharpened my decision-making, strengthened my self-trust, and reinforced that what I’m building is not only valid, but intentional and necessary.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am the founder and operator of Courts Empanadas, where I focus on creating a product and experience that are both elevated and intentional. Empanadas have their origins in Spain and have evolved across Latin America, carrying deep cultural significance and history across regions. That foundation is something I hold a great deal of respect for.
At Courts Empanadas, my focus is on how we execute within that tradition. Our flavor development is layered and consistent across every offering. Each empanada is six inches, fully packed with protein, and built to feel substantial and complete. Each bite is meant to feel like home.
My Jamaican background serves as a foundation within the menu, reflected in flavors such as oxtail with butter beans and spicy honey jerk chicken. From there, I expand beyond those roots through offerings like garlic salmon and garlic shrimp, along with other profiles that draw from a range of influences.
What I do extends beyond selling food it’s about establishing a standard. From the quality of ingredients to the way the business operates day to day, everything is approached with discipline and structure. I remain closely involved in operations, team development, and preserving the overall integrity of the brand.
At the same time, I am intentional about the culture being built within the space itself. Courts Empanadas is designed to reflect a sense of Black excellence, ownership, and presence that is not always represented in this type of setting. From the aesthetic to the energy, the goal is to create an environment that feels elevated, structured, and rooted in pride.
It’s important to me that when people walk into the space, they feel a shift—not just in the product, but in how they experience themselves within it. There is a level of care in how we present, how we engage, and how we maintain the environment. It’s about creating a space where people feel acknowledged, where the standard is clear, and where the community feels both represented and respected.
Connection is central to that experience. I don’t want people to simply come in, make a purchase, and leave it should feel like a place where there is consistency in energy, where the team is aligned, and where the community is actively part of what we’re building.
What I’m most proud of is the ability to take something that began in my grandmother’s kitchen and build it into a physical space that actively serves a real community particularly in an area where businesses have historically struggled to sustain themselves. Consistency has been a defining factor. I’ve made it a priority to show up, deliver, and refine continuously.
What sets me apart is my level of intention and accountability. I don’t approach this casually I approach it with the mindset of building something that can scale, endure, and represent a higher standard. I pay close attention to detail, take full responsibility for outcomes, and remain committed to evolving both the business and myself in parallel.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I always felt like the outlier in my environment. I was naturally drawn to things that weren’t always reflected around me yoga, meditation, and spending time in nature. I could easily spend hours on a nature walk, simply being present and observing. That sense of introspection and connection to something deeper has been with me for as long as I can remember.
I was also raised in a Christian household my father was a pastor, and I grew up deeply rooted in the church. With a strict Caribbean grandmother and structured, disciplined parents, especially being homeschooled, my upbringing was fairly sheltered. That environment instilled a strong foundation in me, even as I began to explore my own personal relationship with spirituality in a more individual and expansive way.
At the same time, I carried a strong sense of responsibility early on. By the age of 10, I was already cooking full course meals for my siblings, and often for my family. Taking care of people and creating for others came naturally to me it wasn’t something I had to think about, it was simply part of who I was.
Around that same time, I started my first business, Courts Treats. It was a baking business I built from the ground up, bringing homemade baked goods to community center where my homeschooled group met 2-3 times a week., my grandmother’s job at the hospital in East Orange, and my dad’s office at Comcast. I’ve always had a strong entrepreneurial spirit I was never hesitant to introduce myself, connect with people, and share what I created. That sense of initiative and confidence was present from a very young age.
I stepped away from it around 16 or 17, but when I returned to the kitchen, I realized something important I enjoyed baking, but I loved cooking. Cooking allowed me to get lost in the process, to create more freely, whereas baking required a level of precision that didn’t resonate with me in the same way. That shift played a significant role in the direction I would eventually take.
I’ve always been very independent. I took my first solo trip to California at 21 for ten days, and since then I’ve continued to travel on my own, both within the country and internationally. I’ve never been afraid to move on my own terms or explore life in a way that felt aligned with me.
Spiritually, I’ve always felt grounded and aware. I’m drawn to practices that bring me closer to myself and to God. Growing up, people often described me as having an “old soul” or being mature for my age, and I believe that came from how intentional I was with my time and energy.
I wasn’t someone who was interested in partying or following what everyone else was doing. If I was investing my time into something, it had to feel meaningful. I was always more drawn to experiences that expanded my mind and deepened my understanding of myself.
That curiosity led me to become a 500-hour certified yoga teacher not out of obligation, but out of genuine interest and commitment to my own growth. Looking back, I can see that I’ve always been someone who moves with intention, even from a young age.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://courtsempanadas.com
- Instagram: @courtsempanadas
