[su_label]BAY AREA[/su_label] Mexican restaurateur gives ex-cons an opportunity The upscale Hayes Valley eatery Cala has an unusual hiring policy: itâs staffed mostly with employees who have criminal records. Mexican-born chef and restaurateur, Gabriela CĂĄmera, who opened Cala in October of 2015, believes in second chances, especially since the food industry in San Francisco has a […]
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Farewell to a Calle 24 institution
Christmas music played in the background at Rooseveltâs Tamale Parlor as Aaron Presbrey and Barry Moore filled their last orders for holiday tamales. A patron strolled in to pick up her order, and asked the owners, âWhatâs next?â Just two weeks earlier, it was announced that theyâd be closing the neighborhood gem on Sunday, Dec. […]
Posted inObituaries, Voices
Silvia Mamacoatl Parra: Beloved âartivistâ remembered
One of the leading lights of the Latino community flickered out on Sunday, Dec. 13, when Silvia âMamacoatlâ Parra died suddenly of stomach cancer in Mexico City. She was in her early 50s. Living in Costa Rica prior to her death, the âBorder Crossing Goddessâ took the Mission District by storm when she arrived in […]
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Mexican Museum celebrates 40 years with exhibition from its founder
[su_slider source=”media: 28822,28823,28824,28825,28826″ limit=”25″ link=”image” target=”blank” width=”700″ height=”460″ autoplay=”0″ speed=”500″][su_menu][/su_slider] Frail and wheelchair-bound, though dapper as ever, Peter Rodriguez gazed in appreciation at the large crowd that had gathered at Fort Mason on Nov. 19 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Mexican Museumâthe very institution he helped build. But the crowd was there to […]
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On lock: 70s dance culture preserved in SF studio
[su_slider source=”media: 28815,28816,28817,28818,28819″ limit=”25″ link=”image” target=”blank” width=”700″ height=”460″ autoplay=”0″ speed=”500″][su_menu][/su_slider] After finishing his IT job, 54-year-old Sal âDoc Lockâ Barcena can be found dancing to the rhythm of funk music every Monday night at SoMaâs City Dance Studios, located at 10 Chase Court. âIf I hear Isley Brothersâ âMind Over Matter,â I will go off,â […]
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Evicted legacy business battles for its future in the Mission
[su_slider source=”media: 28809,28810,28811,28812″ limit=”25″ link=”image” target=”blank” width=”700″ height=”460″ autoplay=”0″ speed=”500″][su_menu][/su_slider] For 43 years, Carlos Navarro has run the Navarroâs Academy of Martial Arts & Bodybuilding Gym from its location in Bernal Heights, but it looked as though he would be forced to vacate the space at 3470 Mission St. after the landlord announced in August […]
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Homeless outreach organization finds home in Mission
From Capp Street to Potrero Avenue, rows of tarps and tents dot the various streets of the Mission, accompanied by trails of feces and broken glass scattered across the sidewalks. The numerous homeless encampmentsâa common sight between 17th and 19th streets on Treat Avenue, Folsom and Shotwell streetsâhas motivated many community groups, like the Gubbio […]
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The death of Mario Woods at the hands of the SFPD
[su_slider source=”media: 28796,28797,28798,28799,28800″ limit=”25″ link=”image” target=”blank” width=”700″ height=”460″ autoplay=”0″ speed=”500″][su_menu][/su_slider] On Dec. 2, Mario Woodsâ name was added to the long and growing list of black and brown men killed by law enforcement in this country. A suspect in a stabbing and allegedly armed with a kitchen knife, Woodâs final moments were disturbingly captured on […]
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Encuentro 34 reaffirms power of Latin music in the Mission
[su_slider source=”media: 28772,28773,28774,28775,28776,28777,28778,28779,28780,28781,28782,28783,28784,28785,28786,28787,28788,28789,28790,28791,28792″ limit=”25″ link=”image” target=”blank” width=”700″ height=”460″ autoplay=”0″ speed=”500″][su_menu][/su_slider] The crowdâabout 250-300 strongâwent wild on Sunday night, Dec. 6, during Accion Latinaâs 34th annual Encuentro Del Canto Popular concert. Inspired by President Obamaâs groundbreaking decision to improve political relations between Cuba and the United States, the incredibly well received line up of musiciansâincluding 5-time […]
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Peruvian immigrantâs journey from dishwasher to Bay Area restaurateur
[su_slider source=”media: 28762,28763,28764,28765,28766,28767,28768″ limit=”25″ link=”image” target=”blank” width=”700″ height=”460″ autoplay=”0″ speed=”500″][su_menu][/su_slider] An apprentice in his mother Josefinaâs hole-in-the-wall restaurant nestled in the small desert city of Nazca, Peru, Carlos Altamiranoâthen 23 years oldâhad a decision to make: stay in his motherâs kitchen, or chase his own culinary dream. âWhen I was a child, I was always […]