Celebrate 13 Bay Area Latine Makers at Pop-Ups on the Plaza

October 2, 2026

For Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrate the culinary traditions and communities that have helped to shape the Bay Area’s flavorful food scene. From Mexico, Guatemala, Cuba, Colombia, and beyond, these local food makers and crafters honor the abundance of flavors, recipes, and cultures from across Latin America.

This Saturday, October 3, don’t miss Pop-Ups on the Plaza: Celebrating Latine Makers, where you’ll meet 13 entrepreneurs paying homage to their roots with handcrafted dishes, desserts, drinks, salsas, and much more. Many of these businesses work with Foodwise’s Building Equity program partners, La Cocina and Mandela Partners, and are loved by regulars at Foodwise farmers markets.

Guille and Gio Rojas, Agua Frisco

Guille and Gio Rojas, the mother-daughter duo behind Agua Frisco, established their business in 2023 to satisfy a sweet craving for aguas frescas without artificial sugars and sweeteners. Guille was raised in Ayotlan, Jalisco, and her daughter, Gio, grew up in Salinas. Together, Guille and Gio offer unique aguas frescas made with plant-based sugars for balanced sweetness that blends flavors from Mexico and the Bay Area.

Don’t miss: Tropical agua fresca, El Sol agua fresca (mango & yuzu), and other flavors

Ansarys Andino, Chi Chi’s Kiosko

When creating the menu for Chi Chi’s Kiosko, Ansarys Andino was inspired by both the breakfasts and lunches of Puerto Rico and the bodega culture of New York City. Her traditional island comfort food is served on house-made Puerto Rican breads. With support from La Cocina, Ansarys has grown Chi Chi’s Kiosko into a popular panadería specializing in handcrafted breads, pastries, sandwiches, traditional comfort food, and catering.

Don’t miss: Empanadas, Puerto Rican sandwich combos, and passion fruit juice

Lilly Duran, Clandestina Cocina 

Chef Lilly Duran founded Clandestina Cocina out of a deep longing for the vibrant flavors, music, and arts of her hometown, Havana. Clandestina Cocina specializes in traditional Cuban cuisine, made using seasonal produce. A longtime participant in the Building Equity program through Mandela Partners, Clandestina Cocina has previously popped up in the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Saturdays.

Don’t miss: Cuban sandwiches and rice bowls, guava and cheese turnovers, and guava limeade

Claudia Omaña, Dulce Mana

Claudia Omaña learned how to make Colombian desserts from her grandmother. After immigrating to the US in 2019, she turned her passion for baking and the familiar flavors of her childhood into Dulce Mana. Through La Cocina, Claudia has brought her classic Colombian desserts to farmers markets and pop-ups across the Bay Area.

Don’t miss: Flan, chocoflan, tres leches, and conservas (dulce de leche and frutos rojos)

Natalia Flores, Flor de Chile

Natalia Flores was raised in Yucatan, Mexico, a region where many common flavors are deeply rooted in Mayan traditions. After moving to San Francisco, Natalia found it difficult to access the flavors she’d grown used to from home, so with assistance from La Cocina, she founded Flor de Chile to bring Yucatan cuisine to the Bay Area. Flor de Chile’s crunchy, spicy toppings come in three flavors: jalapeño, serrano, and chile mix.

Don’t miss: Spicy, crunchy chiles

Nancy Charraga, MexEvents/Casa Bonampak

Through her business, Casa Bonampak, Nancy Charraga imports works from artists in Latin America to offer jewelry, crafts, and event decor for Bay Area locals. Pick up Día de los Muertos decorations from Casa Bonampak, a fair-trade company dedicated to preserving Latino culture and traditions. Casa Bonampak is also a familiar pop-up at festive occasions at the Mission Community Market, including the upcoming Día de los Muertos on October 29.

Don’t miss: Papel picado, paper marigolds, and other hecho-en-Mexico decorations

Olivia Mecalco, Mi Comedor

Chef/owner Olivia Mecalco learned traditional Mexican recipes from her grandmother, who made dishes from regions across the country. In San Francisco, Olivia spent 18 years cooking a variety of cuisines until 2012, when she joined La Cocina’s food business incubator program. Since 2018, her business has become a well-known lunch spot at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Don’t miss: Quesabirria and tacos

Raquel Goldman, Norte 54 

In 2020, Raquel Goldman started Norte 54, which offers modern Mexican baked goods focusing on traditional pan dulce (pastries), using seasonal produce and local organic ingredients. Born in Mexico, Raquel Goldman moved to Miami at the age of five, but Mexico remained a formative part of her childhood as she returned every summer to visit her grandmother. She sources seasonal ingredients from the farmers market for her rotating menu pastries. Norte 54 can be found at the Mission Community Market on Thursdays.

See an event preview with Raquel on KTVU and watch a free cooking demo with Raquel at on October 3 at 12pm!

Don’t miss: Conchas, tres leches, pan de muerto, and calavera  cookies

Claudia Campos and Daniel Ortiz, Painted Leopard

Cousins Claudia Campos and Daniel Ortiz founded Painted Leopard after they were both gifted coffee grown in their family’s hometown, near Monte Cacahuatique in El Salvador. After two years of development, Painted Leopard launched their business at the San Francisco Coffee Festival in 2023. Their single-origin medium and light roast coffee is available at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Saturdays. 

Don’t miss: Pour-over coffee sourced from El Salvador

Karla Rosales-Barrios, Pass The Sauced  

Growing up, San Francisco native Karla Rosales-Barrios spent her summers visiting her grandparents’ farm in Nicaragua. Her business, Pass the Sauced, honors the culinary traditions of Nicaragua with bold, thick salsas crafted with a blend of locally grown peppers and fresh ingredients. She currently pops up at the Mission Community Market on Thursdays through La Cocina, a partner of Foodwise’s Building Equity program.

Don’t miss: Well-seasoned salsas and plantain chips

Norma Quiñonez, Semilla

Norma Quiñonez was born in Durango, Mexico, and raised in San Francisco. Every summer, Norma would return to Durango to visit her grandmother, from whom she learned several recipes, including how to make Durango-style burritos and gorditas. Now, Norma brings that same traditional, homestyle, Northern Mexican cooking to Semilla, including her freshly made, artisanal tortillas. Their burritos are among the San Francisco Chronicle’s best in the Bay Area.

Don’t miss: Tostadas de tinga (shredded chicken in chipotle sauce), tamales, and breakfast burritos with handmade tortillas

Amalia Avendano, Tonantzin Mexican Cuisine 

Amalia Avendano learned traditional recipes while cooking as a child at one of the “20 de Noviembre” markets in Oaxaca. Tonantzin’s menu is drawn from her parents and grandparents, staying true to authentic Oaxacan flavors. With support from La Cocina, Amalia and her family have brought Oaxacan tlayudas, tamales, and more to local farmers markets. Find Tonantzin at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays and at the Mission Community Market on Thursdays.

Watch a free cooking demo with Amalia on October 3 at 11 am!

Don’t miss: Tamales, tlayudas Oaxaqueñas, quesabirria, tacos, horchata, and café de olla

Veronica & Jose Reyes, Xula Guatemalan Cuisine 

In 2024, Veronica and Jose Reyes joined La Cocina to bring their culinary expertise from a ghost kitchen into the spotlight. Inspired by the vibrant traditions of Maya cuisine, Veronica and Jose offer savory classics like garnachas, Guatemalan tamales, and more. Veronica’s signature ChiQ’aq hot sauce, meaning “where the fire is” in Mayan, has won local food competitions and is sold in select Bay Area stores.

Don’t miss: Adobado wings, tamales, garnachas, and ChiQ’aq artisan salsa

Support these entrepreneurs at Pop-Ups on the Plaza: Celebrating Latine Makers tomorrow, October 3, from 9 am to 2 pm, in the Ferry Terminal Plaza (south of the Ferry Building). Pop-Ups on the Plaza is an initiative of Foodwise’s Building Equity program, with support from the San Francisco Human Rights Commission and Port of San Francisco.

Topics: Building Equity program