Estrellita’s Snacks, a new family-owned brick-and-mortar restaurant in the Tenderloin, has come a long way from its origins as a street vending operation on Mission Street.
Maria del Carmen Flores, the matriarch behind Estrellita’s Snacks, started in El Salvador, selling pupusas and fruit on the streets with her mother, Rosa Flores Rodriguez. Amid the Salvadoran civil war in the ’80s, Maria moved to Oaxaca, Mexico, where she ran a restaurant focused on Oaxacan cuisine.
Struggling to make ends meet, Maria relocated to San Francisco in 1997, securing a job at a hotel. In 2003, she brought her daughter Estrella Gonzalez from Oaxaca to San Francisco. Together, Maria and Estrella joined San Francisco’s informal street vending scene in 2004, selling “bolsitas de plátano chips” in Ziploc bags in the Mission. The $20 they used to purchase plantains, oil, and salt turned into $300 in sales. Soon, they were selling pupusas, tamales, and aguas frescas on the streets as Estrellita’s Snacks.
Those early years selling food without a permit in San Francisco were challenging. “There were many problems with the police. They didn’t let [Maria] sell,” said Estrella. “One time they threw away her things on 24th and Mission. After that, she would never let them be there first. She would keep an eye out. And if she saw them, then she would move.”
Maria was frustrated by the constant fear of police disruption. Her inability to speak English was a major barrier to finding a formal path to sell her food. “She couldn’t look for opportunities to grow her business,” said Estrella, who knows only a bit of English herself. “So it always remained small.” With the help of Estrella’s children, who learned English in San Francisco schools, they were finally able to break the language barrier for paperwork and client interactions: “I have my son who always helps me.”
In 2005, Maria and Estrella joined La Cocina, a nonprofit that helps immigrant women formalize and grow their food businesses. As the second business to graduate from their incubator program, Estrellita’s Snacks finally moved away from unpermitted vending.
Since then, their signature perfectly circular pupusas have gained popularity, selling in the Civic Center, at farmers’ markets, and in grocery stores around the city.
Maria suffered a stroke in 2018, forcing her to retire from Estrellita’s Snacks. She has since passed down the business to Estrella. “Her dream was that we, as her children and grandchildren, continue the legacy she has left,” said Estrella, the lead chef of the restaurant. Today, Estrella works alongside her husband, five children and two sisters-in-law.
Estrellita’s Snacks restaurant opened on July 16 and is located at 483 Ellis Street. The menu features a mix of Salvadoran and Oaxacan cuisine, including a variety of pupusas, mole dishes, traditional tlayudas, and other snacks made “con amor” and “del sazon [mío],” said Estrella. “Not everyone puts heart into what they are doing, and we have that.”
For street vendors aspiring to grow their food businesses, Estrella advises, “If they’re serious about their dreams, they should get their permits and licenses and keep pushing forward. Their dreams are bigger than their obstacles. It’s not easy, but it’s possible.”
Interested in La Cocina’s incubator program? The program offers affordable kitchen space, assistance in obtaining permits, business growth opportunities, and resources like graphic design, food photography, legal advice, and business consulting. La Cocina supports two types of food businesses: prepared foods and packaged food businesses.
Attend Orientation: Learn how La Cocina works and what you need to start a food business. This free workshop is open to the public, but registration is required. Attendance is mandatory if you plan to apply to the program.
2024 San Francisco Orientations:
September 11 (La Cocina – 2948 Folsom St.) 6 PM – 8 PM
November 13 (La Cocina – 2948 Folsom St.) 6 PM – 8 PM
Submit an Application: To apply, submit the following: an application, a completed business plan, your resume, two letters of recommendation, and proof of your current income. The upcoming 2024 application deadline is August 5th to August 16th.For full details and available workshops, visit lacocinasf.org/apply.
