La Cocina

La Cocina is a non-profit incubator

kitchen so we provide affordable

commercial kitchen space and hands-on

technical assistance to low-income and

immigrant female entrepreneurs we’re

launching growing and formalizing food

businesses it’s not a lemonade stand of

the lemonade company it’s not a big sale

it’s a bakery it’s not a tamale stand if

it’s Molly company they give you

information they give you resources they

guide you they open the door we begin

with a pre-incubation program where we

work on marketing then we go on product

operations and finances every step of

the way taking what’s intuitive to any

entrepreneur and turning it into

something that you can write down and

pitch to an investor levi’s has had a

tremendous impact on this program since

day one they believed in the power of

women to start businesses they believed

in the power of this neighborhood to

cultivate those businesses they had

faith in it the first time I got here

the first thing I noticed was the walk

in and he says donated by Levi Strauss I

met some of the board members one

evening because I was catering for their

dinner but they look at me and say we

are so proud of you and I just burst

into tears because I didn’t realize

there was another body or foundation as

passionate as as I am about my business

what la kristina is about more than

anything is about the transition from

income patching to asset jeanration so

instead of just making a little money on

the side which any talented cook can do

it’s about taking that and transition to

full fledged livelihood for your family

Oh enough it’s almost enough