Press

June 13, 2012 — Tomorrow at lunch time, she will sell her tamales to the financiers who crowd outside the Ferry Building for a taste of the street-food craze sweeping San Francisco. But tonight, she gets to do what she loves most: prepare the recipes learned from her mother and … more

April 30, 2012 — An alluring aroma greets anyone who enters La Cocina. A mix of Mexican, Caribbean and Malaysian foods, it’s a scent that is difficult to ignore.

Inside the small discreet building located in the heart of San Francisco’s Mission district, a group of women entrepreneurs are … more

April 2012 — If you can’t wish Mom a happy Mother’s Day in person, why not send a care package to her, just like the ones she sent you when you were younger? The Half-Pint Box from San Francisco’s La Cocina is chock-full of sweet and salty snacks—chocolate truffles, alfajores … more

April 1, 2012  — Hay que creerle a Verónica si dice que su ensalada favorita era la que su mamá Doña Luz hacía en su casa de la Ciudad de México “cuando no había mucho”. Jitomate, lechuga, aguacate, pepitas tostadas y queso fresco, rociados con una suave vinagreta de cilantro … more

March 21, 2012 — The excesses of the holidays, the Super Bowl, and, for me at least, Oscar Night, are now past, and hopefully we’re all able to fit back into our jeans again. Food is definitely transformative, but not just to our waistbands.

Some Bay Area organizations have taken on … more

February 28, 2012 — Alicia Villanueva immigrated to the US from Mexico ten years ago. To make money, she sold homemade tamales door-to-door and outside an Oakland church. Making tamales also kept her connected to her roots.

“In Mexico at Christmas or weddings, all the families would come together and prepare … more

January 25, 2012 — When San Francisco restaurateur Traci Des Jardins collected $30,000 in prize money from Bravo TV’s “Top Chef Masters” last year, she promptly passed on the check to La Cocina, the nonprofit Mission District incubator program that supports low-income edible enterprises, many run by Latinas. [...] Supporting … more

December 5, 2011 — Hella Vegan Eats has already been up and running in the S.F. Bay Area for awhile. In fact, just this last weekend they were at a Shop Oakland event, serving up Navajo Fry Bread, Orzo with Butternut Squash “Cheddar,” Cranberries and Shaved Brussels Sprouts, and the … more

September 1, 2011 – The Levi Strauss Foundation is a strong supporter of La Cocina, an organization based in San Francisco that helps low-income women start and grow their food businesses. The aim is for these women to have access to financial, marketing and business opportunities that will allow them … more

November 2, 2011 — It’s a few hours before a large dinner at a center for the arts near San Francisco. Chefs are chopping zucchini and beating eggs. And at her station, Monica Martínez opens a FedEx box, overnighted and stuffed with 1,000 of her favorite ingredient: crickets. “It’s really … more

November 2, 2011 — Chaac Mool chef-owner Luis Vázquez arranges the familiar ingredients in front of him: flour, sugar, egg, yeast and a cup of milk. With these, the fifth-generation panadero (bread maker) will teach 25 or so attending a recent class at La Cocina how to make the special … more

October 30, 2011 — Chaac Mool joined La Cocina’s food incubator program in 2008, and has been serving delicious and authentic Mayan cuisine from the Yucatan ever since. This husband and wife team, Luis and Maria Vázquez, began serving food out of their home in 2005, but now operate from … more

October 19, 2011 — Mónica Martínez bills her Don Bugito food truck as a “pre-Hispanic snackeria.” A 36-year-old Mexican immigrant with high cheekbones and raven hair, Martínez doesn’t have a chef’s résumé. She studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and is, at best, a journeyman cook. Yet her … more

October 7, 2011 — A couple of months ago, we had a really great lady on the show that made homemade Tamales; her name is Alicia and she makes awesome tamales by the way. She mentioned how she never thought she could have her own businesses if it wasn’t for … more

October 1, 2011 — Like many San Franciscans over the past few years, Matt Cohen had a foodie dream: to run a food truck, serving the ramen noodle dishes he learned to prepare in Japan. So in mid-2008, he quit his job as a hotel manager and started hosting pop-up … more

August 28, 2011 — Parece irónico. Comer parado, en medio de la calle, después de hacer colas infinitas para ordenar algo es para mucha gente algo más deseable que sentarse cómodo a comer y que le sirvan en un restaurante. Hasta hace unos años la comida callejera estaba casi exclusivamente … more

August 29th, 2011— “For folks who have cooked their whole lives, taking business into their own hands with their family by their sides, is a huge risk. But it provides potentially huge freedom,” said Caleb Zigas, director of San Francisco’s La Cocina culinary incubator summarizing the second National Street … more

August 28, 2011— La Cocina is a ground-breaking business incubator designed to reduce the obstacles that often prevent entrepreneurs from creating successful and sustainable small businesses. By providing shared resources and an array of industry-specific services, business incubators ensure small businesses can succeed. La Cocina follows this model by … more

August 17, 2011 — La Cocina’s kitchen in the Mission is abuzz with activity in preparation for the food event of the year, the San Francisco Street Food Festival.

We sent photographer Albert Law over to get some photos. Warning: they’ll make you hungry, and the festival doesn’t start until … more

August 31, 2011— Veronica Salazar was born in Mexico City, but after moving to San Francisco she couldn’t find a taqueria serving anything like the cuisine she grew up with. Working in restaurant kitchens during the week to support her family, she began selling her native foods at home … more

August 11, 2011 — This isn’t your average bunch of hot dog carts. On Aug. 20, a flash mob of street food vendors and renowned restaurateurs will unite to hawk bacon-wrapped hot dogs, guava-provolone plantain cakes, floral-decorated Jell-O shots and much more at La Cocina’s San Francisco Street Food Festival … more

July 14, 2011 — San Francisco is an innovative town for many reasons. An example is La Cocina, a non-profit organization that focuses on mentoring low-income and immigrant women entrepreneurs to jump start and grow their food businesses. Below we’ve highlighted some of the success stories that have flourished from … more

July 13, 2011— With the Underground Market Shut Down, How Do You Start a Food Business? After the Health Department shut down the ForageSF Underground Market last month, a victim of its own national-news-making success, SFoodie spoke to organizer Iso Rabins about the vendors who had debuted their jams, … more

July 20, 2011 — Alicia Villanueva, a single mother of three and a Mexican native, used to sell tamales in the streets. But with the help of La Cocina’s incubator program, she has perfected her recipe and later this summer will have her well-earned tamale cart. Watch the video.… more

July 8, 2011 — San Francisco’s La Cocina is an entrepreneurial experiment offering low-income food startups commercial space to develop and cultivate their culinary talents into creating viable products. Creators say this incubator kitchen idea concept comes from the myriad of food vendors in the city’s Mission District where people … more

July 9, 2011 — La Cocina’s Executive Director Caleb Zigas was featured on Fox News. Caleb speaks on the Road to Recovery series: ‘How to Launch Your Own Food Business’: watch the video.… more

July 7, 2011 — Donna Sky of The Love & Hummus Co. shares her tips for making a beautiful hummus appetizer in Chow.com’s Chow Tips. Watch the video.… more

June 30, 2011 — La Cocina has been helping mostly immigrant women start up businesses since 2005, so it’s little wonder that when my blog about the paltry helping of good Mexican food in the Bay Area appeared last week, I heard from executive director Caleb Zigas. He wrote that … more

June 16, 2011 — Luis Vazquez appreciates the irony in naming Chaac Mool, his Yucatecan food business, after the Mayan god of rain. As he and his wife, Maria, recently prepared ingredients for their signature cochinita pibl, Vazquez said that the huge batch of pork – 120 pounds, to be … more

June 19, 2011 — Fernay McPherson would like to turn her part-time venture, Minnie Bell’s Catering company, into a full-time gig. The problem is that while she can make mouth-watering chicken three ways, she doesn’t know a hill of beans about creating a viable business plan.

Help is on the … more

June 16, 2011 — Traci Des Jardins concluded her stint on Bravo’s Top Chef Masters a couple of months ago, and had to keep the amazing secret that, as a competitor who made it to the final three, she won $30,000 for La Cocina, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that … more

La Cocina businesses Sabores del Sur, Onigilly, Chaac-Mool and el Buen Comer were featured on the Emmy Award winning show, Eye On The Bay! In the May 11, 2011 show, host Liam Mayclem takes a look inside our kitchen, and finds some of the best spots to see … more

May 11, 2011 — Traci Des Jardins may well be on her way to something that she thinks would be “pretty cool … to be the first woman to win the title of Top Chef Master.” Last night, Traci swept the contest, winning $5,000 in the Quickfire Round and $10,000 … more

May 10, 2011 — During last year’s packed Cinco de Mayo celebration at his Marina restaurant Tacolicious, owner Joe Hargrave came up with an idea to expand the celebration. He invited some of the most notable Mexican restaurants and vendors to gather at the Ferry Building Marketplace on Thursday for … more

May 6, 2011 — La Cocina is starting to be a real go-to for delicious sweets, from Kika’s Treats to Clairesquares, but the latest concoction to come out of the non-profit’s incubator kitchen truly astounded me. Started by Mexican artist Rosa Rodriguez, Sweets Collection is one the newer businesses … more

May 3, 2011 — Once a year we celebrate the people who hang in there, often against the odds, and not only survive but thrive. People who build small businesses that build cool neighborhoods and hire local workers and keep the San Francisco economy moving…

Believe it or not, there … more

February 24, 2011 — San Francisco’s newest Whole Foods store might be the least scruffy thing at the western terminus of Haight Street, but that’s not the most remarkable thing about it. What sets the store apart from every other in Northern California ― and across the Whole Foods empire, … more

February 19, 2011 — La Cocina business Don Bugito is featured in ‘Where to find creepy crawly cuisine’: [...] Monica Martinez plans to start an insect food cart in San Francisco through an incubator that helps mainly women and immigrant food entrepreneurs start up businesses. Ms. Martinez wants to feature … more

February 2011 —
La Cocina’s El Huarache Loco got a nod for its signature huarache. The version with ensalada de nopales made 7×7′s 2011 Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Try Before You Die (at #60, Huarache with Cactus Salad). See the full list of eats.… more

December 24, 2010 — During the holiday season, Latino families across California are cooking up tamales. If you’re not fortunate enough to have an abuelita, or grandma, willing to teach you the secrets of the tamal, you have two options. Befriend one, or attend a tamale-making class. There was a … more

December 27, 2010 — When you think of the “underground economy,” you probably imagine guns or drugs, not empanadas or tamales. But it’s expensive to line up business licenses and commercial kitchen space. And intimidating. La Cocina is a non-profit with a very particular social mission. Caleb Zigas is the … more

October 8, 2010 — For some, the old cliché that you are what you eat has taken on increasingly complex implications: food choices can be a stand-in for social, ideological, even political identity and beliefs. Eaters can form communities of a sort, and businesses are built catering to them. Surely … more

September 30, 2010 — Young dudes Kan Hasegawa and Koji Kanematsu noted Americans’ bottomless appetite for the rainbow roll, but wondered why onigiri ― seaweed-wrapped rice balls fused with fillings ― were hard to find. So the Japanese expats gave birth to onigiri business Onigilly, nursing it to health … more

September 2010 — Azalina’s Malaysian curry crepes, at the Saturday Alemany Farmers’ Market, make Bon Appetit magazine’s list of the top 10 lunches found at farmers’ markets nationwide. See the full list.… more

August 23, 2010 — It was huge. Four city blocks in the Mission with over fifty street food vendors. San Francisco chefs, restaurateurs, food entrepreneurs, street food purveyors, and street food aficionados converged in the Mission, Saturday, for La Cocina’s biggest San Francisco Street Food Festival. Like any huge food … more

August 22, 2010 — San Francisco’s love affair with food was obvious by the big turnout at Saturday’s SF Street Food Festival, the event celebrating the very best in street food. The mood was upbeat as attendees sampled a wide range of food items in San Francisco’s colorful Mission District. … more

August 22, 2010 – With $100 between them, Ren Pulido and Rina Temporosa showed up at San Francisco’s Street Food Festival a few minutes before it officially opened at 11 a.m. Two hours later, they were down to $20 and trying to figure out how to spend it. Should they … more

August 20, 2010 — Yes, last year’s SF Street Food Festival was equal parts thrilling and #Fail: More expectant humanity thronged a single block of Folsom, even, than rushes the Sunday beer bust at the Eagle, or the Saturday afternoon checkout at Bi-Rite, in lines as depressing as the gray … more

May 2010 — Jill Litwin, founder and CEO of a healthy frozen-food company for growing kids, is a typical entrepreneur in many ways. She works (all the time). She gets overtly excited about the launch of her third product, Peas of Pie pizza with vegetables baked into the crust (and … more

May 25, 2010 — La Cocina inked its final contract for park food selling with Rec and Park today. The Mission nonprofit will host two vendor venues in Dolores Park. The first ― El Huarache Loco ― plans to sell seven days a week, from a trailer owner Veronica Salazar … more

A profile of the men behind Onigilly, a La Cocina incubator business, from the Japanese Business Press.

サンフランシスコのミッション地区は南米からの移民が 多く、まるで公用語のようにスペイン語が飛び交うエリアだ。かつては低所得者層が集中して治安が悪かったが、5～7年ほど前から若者が住み着くようにな り、個性的な店やお洒落なレストランが続々と開店している。NPO（NonProfit Organization）やデザインオフィスも越してきた。ラテン文化とトレンドがミックスした、活気あるクリエイティブなコミュニティーをつくってい る。

Read more… more

May 11, 2010 — In a city of organized workers, the illegal hot dog vendors on Mission Street are some of labor’s last lone rangers. And vulnerable ones. They have no permits and no rights. They must be on constant alert for the cops, who write them tickets and even … more

May 6, 2010 — In the small hilltop neighborhood of Bernal Heights on the southeastern side of San Francisco, you can see the makings of an edible renaissance. It doesn’t have the cutting-edge restaurant scene of the Mission District or the tourist pull of the Ferry Plaza. But an influx … more

May 1, 2010 — In Melissa Ann Martin and Sanjit Sethi’s interdisciplinary community-based design class, students were juggling more than multiple disciplines. By standing in the kitchen and learning to make soup, they’d absorbed the intense and colorful life histories of women chefs from five different countries. The five women … more

April 19, 2010 — For most small businesspeople, getting a product into a store like Whole Foods is a dream. But if you’re a one-woman show like Zella’s Soulful Kitchen, that dream could lead to insomnia. Read more… more

March 9, 2010 — As Katherine Gustafson wrote this week in recognition of International Women’s Day, it is not possible to address issues of food production, purchase and preparation, or food insecurity without also considering the status and role of women. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, … more

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February 25, 2010 — As dozens of new licensed and unlicensed mobile vendors vie for spaces at San Francisco’s parks and sidewalks, and customers line up for their food, the city is coming to grips with the street food phenomenon. Read more… more

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Jan. 28, 2010 — While others harp on how unsustainable SF is for small businesses, La Cocina serves as a positive model for what’s possible. “We need to make opportunities for low-income entrepreneurs in the food industry,” says Caleb Zigas. “They’re good for our city.” Read more… more

Jan. 26, 2010 — La Cocina has gotten the initial nod for a contract to do pushcart food sales in both Dolores Park and Justin Herman Plaza, said director Caleb Zigas. Pending final approval by the seven-member Rec and Park Commission, the nonprofit food business incubator would be able to … more

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Dec. 7, 2009 — One of the biggest challenges of transitioning from an underground culinary operation to a full-fledged business is access to commercial kitchen space—since the cost of outfitting and certifying such a kitchen is prohibitive to most culinary micro-enterprises. As legions of street food vendors, under-the-radar caterers, and … more

While the hipster street cart vendors of the Mission District get invited to official functions, many who have long worked the Mission’s streets are more likely to get a $250 ticket than an invitation. Read more… more

Nov. 18, 2009 — Want to get the most bang for your buck? Try canning your food. Simple, fun, and with the national unemployment rate at 10.2 percent — the highest since 1983 — canning can be the answer to anyone’s dwindling holiday budget. Ask the folks at the Mission’s … more

Oct. 17, 2009 — Una mañana de mayo, Verónica Salazar rellenaba con frijoles unos huaraches de maíz, concentrándose en bloquear el bullicio de una enorme cocina en Mission District. El ruido de cuchillos picando vegetales contribuía al alboroto, alimentado con las sartenes que golpeaban contra el equipo de acero inoxidable, y … more

Lucero Muñoz, a La Cocina program participant, is featured in this VendrTV short on San Francisco’s bacon-wrapped hot dogs.

You can see more about Lucero Muñoz in this clip from CNS News (around 16:30)… more

SFBG TV… more

July 24, 2009 — In La Cocina’s large, commercial kitchen, three women joke with each other, their laughter amplified by the room’s high ceilings and brushed steel fixtures. They carefully dust powdered sugar on a fresh batch of alfajores, pastry-style cookies filled with dulce de leche, a caramel-like … more

June 14, 2009 — On a recent Wednesday, 80 people came to La Cocina, a community kitchen on Folsom, to pick up 720 jars of homemade apricot jam. More than 20 people took part in making it from scratch last Sunday. Anya Fernald who conceived the canning project,  said … more

May 26, 2009 — The Creme Brulee Cart is one of many licensed and unlicensed food vendors who have recently hit the streets of San Francisco, especially in the Mission District. The area’s bars, streets and parks host a caravan of food sellers who connect to their customers via social … more

Nov. 14, 2008 — The ingredients for green collar economic renewal via food-based businesses have been stewing for a few years in the Mission at La Cocina. Entering its fifth year of operation in 2009, La Cocina was founded to provide kitchen space and assistance to food entrepreneurs – many … more

Aug. 28, 2008 — Los sabores viajaron con ellas, inmigrantes todas. Con Dilsa Lugo, de México, las rajas de chile poblano; con Rosario Cabrera, del Perú, la yuca y la papa dulce; con Mieko Raymer, de Japón, esos fideos conocidos como soba combinados con berros; con Aster Andyhun, de Etiopía, … more

June 23, 2007 — One morning in May, Veronica Salazar stuffed refried beans into sandal-shaped masa cakes, concentrating to block the commotion in a cavernous kitchen here in the Mission District. The chopping of vegetables added to the din as the clang of metal pans against stainless steel equipment competed … more

Winter 2006 — Walking around in the Mission neighborhood, one of the first things you notice is the smell of food: Beans, grilled meat, and tortillas all waft through the air like one big atomized hunger-inducing burrito. Around the corner from each other are two organizations whose kitchens are not … more

Dec. 12, 2006 —  La Cocina bustles with activity. Pots clang. Water gushes from spouts ar Something You Say When You Know You Messed Up Want To Get Back Together With Your Ex Your A Boy ound the industrial kitchen. At four large workstations, cooks chop, mix, bake, and sauté … more

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Oct. 6, 2006 — … more

April 26, 2006 — Among the many delights which come out of the ovens at La Cocina each day are shortbread cookies with dulce de leche which have gone from being comfort food to a business for Yumna McCann. Read more… more

March 15, 2006 — What do dairy-free truffles, good-for-you juices, natural jams and Mexican food all have in common? They were all created at La Cocina, an “incubator kitchen” in the Mission District. The nonprofit organization helps local low-income men and women start their own food-related businesses by providing commercial … more

March 1, 2006 — Valeria Perez Ferreiro discusses La Cocina with host Jerry Kay, and Guisell Osorio, owner of Sabores del Sur, talks about her experience launching her business at La Cocina. Listen to the story… more

Jan. 18, 2006 — You know you’re in the presence of real Mexican food when you run across huaraches — literally, “slipper” or “sandal.” The long, oval-shaped tortilla (pictured) — hand patted with a center of black bean puree and baked on a griddle — is the perfect carrier for … more

Dec. 28, 2005 — A non-profit community kitchen in San Francisco is part of a growing movement to launch small food businesses around the country. Reporter Pauline Bartolone examines La Cocina’s focus on poor immigrant women. Listen to the story… more

Sept. 7-13, 2005 — It’s a Monday afternoon in the Mission District, and the modern, gleaming commercial kitchen La Cocina is bustling with women. A small, multicultural group, they cheerfully swap stories and encouragement, though each remains intently focused on her own work. Read more… more

June 13, 2005 — San Francisco’s Mission District — like many low-income neighborhoods in high-rent cities — is a mix of immigrants, primarily Latin American, and hipsters. Gentrification spread rapidly through the area in the late 1990s, during San Francisco’s dot-com boom, but has slowed postbust. On the trendier blocks, … more

March 25, 2005 — Veronica Rivera [...] is all cooking skills and enthusiasm, with little business know-how and means. She is the type of budding entrepreneur that La Cocina, an incubator kitchen in the Mission District, is looking to mentor. The startup, which is seeking nonprofit status, will help low-income … more

Feb. 15, 2005 — Con su cocina comercial de 4,400 pies cuadrados, la organización piensa ayudar a las empresarias de bajos ingresos a conseguir y mantener clientes, utilizando unos ingredientes claves. El programa se propone ayudar a un grupo de mujeres minoritarias e inmigrantes—y dará atención especial a las que … more