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 fill­ing made from heated milk. Prepar­ing for an upcom­ing local farmer’s mar­ket, these women are part of one of the 22 small food busi­nesses that work with the self-proclaimed “incu­ba­tor kitchen” located in the heart of San Francisco’s Mis­sion Dis­trict. Read more