I heard of La Cocina, a SF-based non-profit incubator kitchen, from my IBD client Prospera. For the IBD project, our team was tasked to help Prospera improve their business training workshops for the local micro-entrepreneurs, many of whom work in the food industry.

I’ve long wanted to volunteer at a La Cocina event and seen for myself how they incubate small food businesses in bay area. So today I went to volunteer at a Team Building Workshop sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton.

This is my first time working in a professional kitchen. And I loved it! Though I’m not a regular cook at home, I felt motivated the moment I stepped into the spacious, well-lit kitchen. I helped set up some preparation tools and squeezed a bag of lemons for later use.

Today the chef at the workshop were from Chaac-Mool, a Yucatecan food provider. The couple, Luis and Maria Vazquez, owns a food truck which they sell food at various farm markets and local fairs. The recipes for today’s workshop included:

• Cochinita Pibil (Pork)
• Frijoles Pintos al sur de Mexico (Black beans)
• Jicama and Citrus Salad (Lettuce and citrus salad)
• Pan de Elotes a la Crema Francesa de Fruta de Nanche (Corn Cake)
• Pollo en Pibil (Chicken wrapped in banana leaves)
• Yucatecan Tamales (Chicken tamales)
• Hojaldrada Yucateca (Hojaldrada filled with sweet potato)

Making the food brought me back to the three weeks spent in Guadalajara this May. So learning how to make it was a lot of fun for me. The seemingly mysterious food suddenly became easy when the chef masterfully demonstrated the making step by step.

In addition to learning how to make Yucatecan food, I was amazed by all the professional equipment in the kitchen. During the break of switching cooking tables, I needed to wash a number of bowls and knives to get ready for the next round. The high-pressure “water gun” was really fun and effective to use. The steamy washing-and-rinsing machine next to the sink was magical to me. You just slide the tray in there and pull down the cover. Everything will be clean and sanitized in less than 60 seconds!

At the end, we had a gorgeous buffet. The chicken tamales, corn cake and sweet potato hojaldrada were my favorites. The extra food we made was packed and delivered to shelters for women and kids. This is the best way to spend a relaxing Saturday. Learning to cook, helping others, and eating a good meal.

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