Mes: julio 2023

Rica Sunga-Kwan puso en marcha su heladería Cremería Urbana Churn hace dos años en Outer Sunset, el barrio donde creció. Pero después de pasear su carrito de helados por la ciudad para hacer popups y entregas para mostrar sabores elaborados con ingredientes de su huerto, Sunga-Kwan ha encontrado un espacio permanente para Churn en el distrito de Portola, una zona conocida apropiadamente como el Distrito de los Jardines de San Francisco, en honor a su rica historia agrícola.

Churn elabora unos 10 sabores base, muchos de ellos -como el aceite de oliva al romero, el tomillo al limón y la stracciatella con virutas de menta fresca- con ingredientes del huerto de Sunga-Kwan, Beach Cottage Urban Farm, en el Outer Sunset.

En medio de una oleada de cierres de empresas alimentarias, una carnicería del barrio de San Francisco ha sido salvada del borde de la desaparición por un inversor ángel inesperado, pero el propietario afirma que la supervivencia de las pequeñas empresas no debería depender de tales milagros.

El mes pasado, Avedano’s Holly Park Market anunció que cerraría definitivamente el 30 de junio debido a la dura competencia de las empresas tecnológicas, la incertidumbre por la venta de su edificio y los problemas de personal.

La propietaria de la pequeña empresa dijo que ahora tiene un socio silencioso que sólo quiere que siga apoyando a los pequeños granjeros y descuartizando animales enteros en el futuro inmediato.

Based in San Francisco, Heidi Gibson’s American Grilled Cheese Kitchen has grilled up a national following that’s boosted by her popular cookbook.

Being this cheesy isn’t easy. There’s little downtime when you’re a new mom, senior director of product management at GoDaddy, a recipe tester for America’s Test Kitchen, as well as a mentor in the small business community and a first-time franchisor with big dreams—but Gibson remains a happy juggler.

Further down the line, Gibson dreams of reaching 50 locations—just 47 more to go—as the inflection point where life gets easier as they move beyond bootstrapping into a place where franchise infrastructure begins to take the lead. In this fantastical future with busywork off her plate, Gibson wants to keep giving back to the “little ecosystem” of small business owners she frequents and maybe, just maybe, dust off that business plan for a biscuit-based concept she wrote years ago.

“Carter started her culinary career selling plates at her uncle’s church. Encouraged by success, she decided to go to culinary school to learn both the cooking techniques and the business aspects of the food world. She attended Le Cordon Bleu and in 2017, her Creole food business was born. She called it Boug Cali.”

“Since its inception, Carter has held pop-ups in other restaurant spaces and most recently became one of the inaugural food vendors at the Warriors’ new Chase Center. In early 2020, she will be one of the featured restaurants in La Cocina’s forthcoming Tenderloin food hall.”

“On her menu you’ll find an assortment of po’boys, gumbo and burritos, all with Creole touches, an intentional decision to pay homage to both her family’s roots throughout the South and her own upbringing in California.”

Chef Yaqueline Martinez launched her own catering company after receiving business training, planning and support from the Richmond nonprofit.

Her business, Yaqueline y Su Sabor Cubano, was just a dream for the Cuban immigrant a decade ago, but it became a reality thanks in large part to small-business training and support from Richmond’s Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center. The organization not only helped her get started with a business plan, licensing and social media presence for catering large and small events, but also helped her pivot during the pandemic and continue to thrive by providing family meals and delivery services.