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。
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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
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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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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Oct. 6, 2006 — For 18 years now, we have been celebrating the amazing contributions of Latinos in the Bay Area with our ‘Profiles of Excellence’ show. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the show highlights the achievements of five local leaders. In this report, we introduce you to one … more
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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
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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 … 
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 … 
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.”
Minding Her Peas and Carrots Wins Investors
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