Longtime San Francisco street vendors open Salvadoran restaurant in Tenderloin

KPIX

By Jose Martinez

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    SAN FRANCISCO, California (KPIX) — For Estrella Gonzalez and her mother, Maria del Carmen Flores, the opening of their restaurant in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood is the realization of a long-held dream.

“My mom started with $20 worth of plantains, and it was an idea we had because, at that time, the stores didn’t sell plantain chips like the ones she made in El Salvador,” Gonzalez, now the proud owner of Estrellita’s Snacks, told CBS News Bay Area through a translator.

The family’s journey to opening their own restaurant was not an easy one. It began on the streets of the Mission District more than 20 years ago, where Flores sold homemade plantain chips on 24th and Mission Streets. However, being a street vendor came with constant challenges, particularly interactions with police and the language barrier.

“One time, the police found my mom and threw away all her things, telling her she couldn’t sell there, and she got upset and said, ‘Why? I’m working honestly, I’m not stealing.’ After that, we had to start hiding. As soon as we saw a police officer, we would leave the area,” Gonzalez recalled.

In 2005, their luck changed when they joined La Cocina, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping immigrant women formalize and expand their food businesses. With their support, Estrella and her mother transitioned from unpermitted street vending to becoming successful restaurant owners.

“Estrella’s mom, Maria del Carmen, was a kitchen user in La Cocina for 10 or 12 years at least, and she was an incredibly hardworking, persistent, diligent, and talented chef,” said Blake Kutner, Director of Entrepreneur Business Development at La Cocina.

La Cocina’s incubator program has helped over 70 participants graduate, with 30 opening their own businesses. The program is designed to help talented chefs like Estrella’s mother navigate the challenges of running a business in San Francisco, including overcoming language barriers and navigating regulations.

“Finding ways to take the talent they have inherent and bring that to the public, to the community,” explained Kutner. “That involves helping them work their way over and through all the hurdles and challenges that we have as a city.”

With the support of La Cocina, Estrellita’s Snacks has grown into a thriving restaurant known for its delicious pupusas and traditional Salvadoran and Oaxacan dishes. Gonzalez credits much of their success to her mother’s leadership.

“My mom has always been a leader, 100%. She was a businesswoman in El Salvador; she had a stall in the market. And my grandmother did too. I think my mom inherited that from my grandmother, and now I’m following in my mom’s footsteps,” Estrella said.

Now, Gonzalez and her brother run Estrellita’s Snacks on Ellis Street, where their menu is a blend of flavors from their Salvadoran roots, prepared with love and care.

For other aspiring street vendors hoping to grow their businesses, Gonzalez offers some advice: “If you have a dream, a goal, don’t let obstacles stop you. Because we faced many obstacles, like the language barrier. People would say, ‘You won’t make it because you don’t speak English.’ But my mom always says, ‘I don’t speak English, but my food speaks for me.'”

Estrella’s story is one of perseverance, family, and the belief that dreams—no matter how difficult—can be achieved with determination and community support.

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