SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Starting a food business comes with a unique set of challenges, including navigating regulations and securing the right facilities.
In response, the City Heights Community Development Corporation has initiated a free program called CHOPPED (City Heights Opportunity Program Pursuing Entrepreneurial Development), designed to guide aspiring entrepreneurs through the startup process.
“Starting your own food business can be challenging. Knowing all the rules and finding the space to do it,” said Michelle Ascencio spokesperson for City Heights Community Development Corporation.
The program, which lasts eight weeks, helps participants secure permits, access funding, and find commercial kitchens to operate from.
Ascencio noted, “We typically serve the low to moderate communities in San Diego.”
One participant, Isabel Rosales, left her corporate job last year to pursue her passion for making tamales, a dish that holds fond childhood memories for her.
“My mom used to buy it for us every Christmas ... that was my breakfast,” she recalled.
After initially selling her tamales to friends and co-workers and participating in pop-up events, Rosales sought further assistance and connected with the CHOPPED program.
The initiative, which serves primarily women and individuals of color — 95 percent of participants fall into these categories — aims to alleviate the financial burden of starting a business.
Rosales highlighted the challenges of accessing commercial kitchen space: “A lot of places are hourly... and it’s a shared space... that can be detrimental. You’re barely trying to make ends meet and then on top of that you have to have the space that takes a hit on your business financially.”
Now, empowered by the program, Rosales is working towards her goal of selling her tamales at farmers markets and catering for corporate events. She hopes to inspire her children through her journey.
“I went for it. Now my kids go for it for whatever they’re dreaming of ... If I can do it, anybody can do it,” she said.
Through the CHOPPED program, the City Heights Community Development Corporation continues to support local entrepreneurs, helping them turn their culinary dreams into reality.
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