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.
