When: October 20th at 6pm-8pm

Where: La Cocina (2948 Folsom St. SF, CA 94110)

If you’ve ever wanted to start a small food business, or wondered what exactly La Cocina does, this is the workshop for you!

Join us for a two hour, jam-packed workshop on the basics of starting a food business in San Francisco as well as information about how you apply for La Cocina’s incubator program if you qualify.

Please come ready to take notes. You will leave this workshop with basic knowledge of how to get your business started, a list of resources that you can work with to make this happen, and detailed knowledge of La Cocina’s application process. No RSVP necessary.

*If you can’t make this Orientation, please note that we host this workshop four times each year.

Como Empezar un Pequeño Negocio de Comida en San Francisco — Una Orientación a La Cocina

Cuando: el 20 de Octubre de 6pm a 8pm

Donde: La Cocina (2948 Folsom St. SF, CA 94110)

Si ha querido empezar un pequeño negocio de comida o si quiere mas información de lo que realmente hace La Cocina, este es el taller para Ud.

Ven por un taller de dos horas lleno de información sobre los fundamentales de como empezar un pequeño negocio en San Francisco y además información de como aplicar para el programa de incubación de negocios de La Cocina si califica.

Por favor venga listo para anotar información. Se ira de este taller con información de como comenzar su negocio y una lista de recursos que le pueden ayudar lograrlo. También, tendrá la información de como aplicar a La Cocina. No necesita avisar si viene.

*Si no puede venir en esta fecha, por favor anote que damos este taller cuatro veces al año.

]]> http://www.lacocinasf.org/how-to-start-a-food-buisiness-in-san-francisco-an-orientation-to-la-cocina-2/feed/ 0 http://www.lacocinasf.org/street-food-conference-presented-by-union-bank/ http://www.lacocinasf.org/street-food-conference-presented-by-union-bank/#comments Sat, 14 Aug 2010 01:09:22 +0000 Cristina http://www.lacocinasf.org/?p=2706 Thanks to everyone who attended the First Annual Street Food Conference, an exploration of food, policy and economics. We all enjoyed the lively discussions about the creation of viable economic models that allow small-scale food entrepreneurs to bring the foods they love to the cities in which they live.

We hope to see you at next year's Conference!]]> Thanks to everyone who attended the First Annual Street Food Conference, an exploration of food, policy and economics.  We all enjoyed the lively discussions about the creation of viable economic models that allow small-scale food entrepreneurs to bring the foods they love to the cities in which they live.

All conference activities took place at the Hotel Vitale, a luxury Joie de Vivre hotel on the San Francisco waterfront. We launched the First Ever Conference with a pre-conference brunch featuring Chef Kory Stewart’s American food vs. the carts of San Francisco. It was a lovely morning with all you can drink mimosas and bloody marys on a patio overlooking the Bay.

This event would not have been possible without the generous support of Union Bank and Joie de Vivre, the Official Hotel Sponsor of the 2010 SFSFF Conference.

Detailed pod casts of the sessions will soon be available thanks to Pinnacle Communications.

Below are this year’s session descriptions. We hope to see you at next year’s Conference!

Sunday, 8/22 – Session #1, 1:45–3:15pm:

Open-Air Markets, Hawker Stalls and The Art of Making One Great Thing

Global street food is an unintended celebration of entrepreneurial spirit, the nature of giving and the drive to make one great thing. Across the world, chefs and informal cooks use open-air markets and mobile vending opportunities to bring their culinary creations to the masses. In every place, this means something different, and the ways in which the world sells and eats food can tell you a lot about a place. In this panel, join some of our favorite chefs as they tell you, and show you, the ways food makes it from the chef to the consumer.

Moderator: Jessica Battilana, Food Editor, 7×7 Magazine

Panelists: Charles Phan, Chef, The Slanted Door

Mourad Lahlou, Chef, Aziza

Iliana de la Vega, El Naranjo

Sunday, 8/22 – Session #2, 3:30–5:00pm:

Truck-Food Nation; The Streets of America

American street food is nothing new, but over the last couple of years there has been an undeniable explosion in the presence, attention and differentiation in the foods that are made and consumed on the streets of America. Some of this is lamentable, as we’ve seen the past get erased, but there is also immense creativity and opportunity in the ingenuity of these vendors. In this panel, John T. Edge will drive us across the country with the insights of some of the leading innovators across the country.

Moderator: John T. Edge

Panelists: Kamala Saxton, Marination Mobile (Seattle)

Bryan Petroff and Doug Quint, Big Gay Ice Cream Truck (New York)

Veronica Salazar, Chef, El Huarache Loco

Jon Ward, Kung Fu Tacos

Monday, 8/23 – Session #1, 9:00–10:30am:

Meet and Eat – The Culture and Face of Street Food

There is an undeniable connection between the people who create street food and those of us who enjoy consuming it. Perhaps its allure lies in the faces behind the food, and the human connection that results from a street food transaction. In America, and across the world, the people who take to the streets to make food are defining the locale and its culture. In this panel, we will examine the faces behind the food, how they are perceived, and the ways in which our expectations are often contradicted by our experiences. We will discuss the race, culture and gendered issues of street food and how we as consumers, and all of us as cities, approach these identities.

Moderator: Sanjit Sethi, Assistant Professor, California College of the Arts

Panelists: Erin Glenn, Los Loncheros – Los Angeles, CA

Molly O’Neill, Food Writer

Sean Basinski, Director, The Vendor Project and The Vendy Awards

Monday, 8/23 – Session #2, 11:00am-12:30pm:

A Cart on Every Corner? Urban Public Space, City Policy and the Informal/Formal Business Model

Our cities are emblems and innovators. Across the country, cities are trying to deal with the history, present and future of street food. In doing so, there have been successes and failures. This panel brings those experiences together to create an understanding of the best practices and realistic outcomes for an urban public planner to create a healthy infrastructure to support a successful street food venue.

Moderator: Margaret Crawford, Professor, UC Berkeley

Panelists: Alma C. Flores, Economic Development Planner, Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, Portland, Oregon

Marianne Moroney, Executive Director, Toronto Street Food Vendors Association

Warren Hansen, Madison, Wisconsin

Greg Smith, Atlanta Street Food Coalition

Shelley Garza, Rising Sun Entrepreneurs

Monday, 8/23 – Session #3, 2:00–3:30pm:

Mobile Vendor Economic Policy

Using the Bay Area as a case study, we will discuss the economic viability of the street food venture and its ability to produce a sustainable individual income. The panel will look at a few existing models, from the illegal food vendor to the ultra-formalized truck. We will explore how specific cities support these individual vendors and how this affects each local economy. The panel will examine urban policy that works and doesn’t work while discussing steps that cities can take to encourage and support mobile food business.

Moderator: Kate Sofis, SFMade

Panelists: Larry Bain, Let’s Be Frank

Dan Sider, San Francisco Planning Department

TBD from Parks & Rec

Matt Cohen, SF Cart Project

]]> http://www.lacocinasf.org/street-food-conference-presented-by-union-bank/feed/ 0 http://www.lacocinasf.org/social-media-for-your-food-business/ http://www.lacocinasf.org/social-media-for-your-food-business/#comments Thu, 28 Jan 2010 02:50:18 +0000 caleb http://www.lacocinasf.org/?p=1500 On Tues­day, February 16th, the Social Media workshop buzzed with beneficial information. Peo­ple came, lis­tened, and learned how to maximize key social media tools for their small businesses. Learn more!]]> *Click here for the PowerPoint presentation from the Social Media Workshop.*

Can you hear it? It’s the buzz of social media. And it’s everywhere.

It has become a necessary strategy for small businesses to have a presence on social media sites. Yet sorting through the sites and hype can be overwhelming and confusing. A big buzz kill.

Join us for a hands-on workshop that will help you understand the social media tools that will benefit your business and get started right away.

You’ll learn:

• The key social media tools for small business marketing and how to use them -  Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and blogs
• How to utilize social media for offers and promotions
• Tools to help maximize your small businesses efficiency
• How to maintain a consistent brand image through social media to reach your customers