Category: Client
Renaissance Client, Chile Lindo Added to San Francisco’s Legacy Business Registry
SAN FRANCISCO – The pride in Paula Tejeda’s voice comes through over the phone as she describes Chile Lindo, one of the small businesses recently added to San Francisco’s Legacy Business Registry.
Cultural legacy
The backstory: According to the Mayor’s Office of Small Business, the city’s Small Business Commission unanimously approved 11 businesses to the city registry for their longstanding commitment to serving the community and for being culturally vital. The businesses approved on June 23 are in addition to four businesses that were added to the legacy registry this past spring.
Tejeda has been at the helm of this one-woman Mission District operation since 1995, but the business, best known for its empanadas, predates her as it’s been around for over 50 years. Tejeda says the business has changed ownership three times.
“I was the first one to focus exclusively on Chilean products and promoting Chile and building a brand in the Bay Area,” Tejeda says. She says that the brand is iconic and that it has a story.
Renaissance Clients Shine in Bayview Walk the Block
On Saturday afternoon, a group of about 50 people gathered in front of Nineteen21, a restaurant and lounge at 1701 Yosemite St. in the Bayview neighborhood for Walk The Block SF.
It was an event organized by SF Hip Hop, a nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating the Bay Area’s contribution to the hip-hop music genre, locally and around the world.
Kamel Jacot-Bell of San Francisco, along with Alex Aquino, started SF Hip Hop a year ago. This was the first Walk The Block SF event in Bayview-Hunters Point. “We wanted to do something impactful in the community,” said Jacot-Bell. “We want to celebrate the neighborhood and support local businesses.”
Walk The Block promotes health awareness, safety, and unity in San Francisco neighborhoods. It’s an opportunity for people to get outside, get to know their neighbors and support local businesses in the area. The event Saturday stretched about a mile down Third Street. A mix of young and old participants made stops at local small businesses to shop, gather and socialize.
Mayor Daniel Lurie arrived around 1 p.m.; he listened to a rendition of “Lift Every Voice” by participants and joined in a group prayer before making the walk up Third Street. Lurie said he joined the walk to support the Bayview community.
“The energy on this walk, the leadership, this is what every community needs, and Bayview has it,” Lurie said. The mayor said that he enjoyed some good barbecue and sugar cookies during the community walk. He took one last group picture with organizers and participants at Third and Quesada streets before heading out.
Forbes Magazine: A Food Lover’s Guide To Bayview
When it comes to San Francisco neighborhoods, Bayview often gets overlooked and misjudged. Those who have spent time there, however, know it’s a hidden gem. It’s home to a vibrant culture that’s embraced its diversity and uniqueness as a historically significant hub of eclectic street art, purpose-driven restaurants, small business with heart and a community of creative, passionate people who love this city.
Bayview is not only the sunniest neighborhood in San Francisco, but also features sweeping views of the bay, natural beauty home to countless migratory birds, and peaceful walking paths and parks ideal for escaping the hustle and bustle of the city.
As a born and raised San Franciscan, my favorite way to explore any neighborhood is through its food scene. And with that here’s a guide to spending the perfect day eating and drinking your way through Bayview.
14 Destination Restaurants in Bayview and Hunter’s Point
14 Destination Restaurants in Bayview and Hunter’s Point
San Francisco’s east side is slept on, full stop. The Bayview and Hunter’s Point sometimes don’t get their shine. The neighborhoods were once known as Butchertown, and during World War II the Navy’s use of the area’s shipyards contaminated the ground with radiation. That history is honored today by many of the businesses working to keep the Bayview lively and vibrant. Old Skool Cafe has held it down for a decade, fixing locals up with jobs in a swanky jazz club. Gumbo Social is a newcomer to the neighborhood, bringing a second-line band down Third Street upon moving in. There’s something for everyone in this historic area, so long as one is willing to peel back the layers and get to the neighborhood’s delicious core.
It’s Finally Gumbo Go Time in San Francisco
Chef Dontaye Ball, better known as Mr. Gumbo, couldn’t tell you exactly how old he was the first time he tasted gumbo at his grandmother’s house in the Fillmore District. His grandmother always said eight years old. His mom believes it was more like four. But either way, to him, gumbo tastes like Christmas. Ball remembers the whole family elbowing into the kitchen and arguing about exactly what goes into the pot.
For a long time, good gumbo was hard to find in San Francisco. But thankfully, as we slog through this wet winter, San Francisco seems to be approaching peak gumbo. Brenda’s always made a serious bowl brimming with chicken, andouille, and okra. Boug Cali will be coming to the Ferry Building this year, bringing jars of seafood gumbo ready to grab and go. Meanwhile Gumbo Social opened in the Bayview last summer, where Ball dives deep into the iconic dish.
Share the Spirit: How to succeed in small business — meet the organization that helps make it happen
For almost seven years, Lilia Vizcaino handled janitor duty at a coffee shop near UC Berkeley, cleaning up at closing time. But Vizcaino, who came to the U.S. from Mexico and now lives in Albany, wanted something better for her family.
“I wanted stability, and I needed to do something else for the future,” she said.
Today Vizcaino no longer mops floors at a coffee shop. She owns her own, El Tiny Cafe in Berkeley. It’s a cute neighborhood joint that offers Americanos and iced horchata lattes, made with coffee beans sourced from women-owned farms in Mexico. The kitchen serves sandwiches, overnight oats and avocado toast with eggs and salsa macha — and boasts five stars on Yelp.
25 Ways to Chase Your Perfect Bay Area Summer
The 1½-year-old club/surf shop founded by couple Rel Lavizzo-Mourey and Julie Cox, markets itself as a kind of base camp for out-of-town day visitors looking for a place to shower and clean up post-beach, and then linger to enjoy the funky, low-key atmosphere of the club’s enclosed patio.
Located in a strip mall just a five-minute walk from Linda Mar Beach, Traveler’s California coastal boho decor is a little Big Sur in the ’70s with a dash of cool Mexican folk art. Among the items for sale in the shop are Oaxacan painted skulls, handcrafted dream catchers, locally produced surf and beach items, and men’s and women’s apparel from Uroko, Of Earth and Salt as well as Lavizzo-Mourey’s clothing label Silver Lining Bespoke.
SURF, SAND — AND SUN?
The 21 Best Fried Chicken Dishes in San Francisco
3. Brenda’s Meat & Three
Unlike most closely guarded fried chicken recipes, you can actually get your hands on the secret recipe at Brenda’s French Soul Food. While the crispy chicken is always served with the famous cream biscuit and collard greens, sister spot Brenda’s Meat & Three sets itself apart with a choice of three glorious sides. Whichever location you choose, you’ll be getting legit Southern buttermilk fried chicken that tastes exactly like what you’re imagining right now.
12. Rusty’s Southern
Sweat tea brined fried chicken is always a good choice at chef Rusty Olson’s clean, cozy, dependable Southern joint. Don’t bother telling the folks waiting in line for the (really great!) brunch at Brenda’s down the block a ways — just head over to Rusty’s Southern and get a chicken biscuit brunch for yourself.
19. Little Skillet
If there’s something wrong about eating fried chicken and waffles on a loading dock in an alleyway, then you don’t want to be right. Just follow the smell of sweet waffles to the small window at Little Skillet where there’s bound to be a line of fried chicken fanatics waiting to get their fix.
20. Frisco Fried
The motto of this Bayview Hunter’s Point soul food joint is “fried with pride” and once you bite into their mouthwatering fried chicken, you’ll taste that it’s true. Every piece at Frisco Fried is fried to order, so if you’re in a rush, call ahead. Get ’em by the piece (up to 20 pieces) or make it a dinner pack with sides and muffins.
21. Auntie April’s Chicken & Waffles
Open every day of the week, Auntie April’s is dedicated to serving up some of SF’s best fried chicken. The chicken and waffles is a signature move, offering choice of original, cinnamon or buckwheat waffles, and chicken (leg, thigh, wing, breast). Also available sans waffle, and in sandwich form, don’t forget to snag a side.
Where to find everyone’s favorite comfort food
Inside Oakland’s Mid-Century Dinner Party-Inspired Bardo Lounge & Supper Club
[The chefs] devoured cookbooks from the 1950s and 1960s, acknowledging that most of the dishes don’t immediately excite but finding inspiration in how home cooks were beginning to embrace the idea of global cuisine.
The mid-century dinner party might seem like an odd source of inspiration for a restaurant, what with the era’s famously gravity-defying Jell-O salads and oh-so-American tuna casseroles.
Owners Seth and Jenni Bregman bought Michelin-approved Michel Bistro last year with the intention of eventually transforming the neighborhood French restaurant into Bardo Lounge & Supper Club, a 1960s living room-esque lounge.
The [bar] menu emphasizes spirit-forward cocktails using house-made tinctures and syrups as well as foraged garnishes, all served from eclectic — often gold-embellished — vintage glassware.