La Cocina staff has, collectively, over 120 years of food-industry experience in working with local businesses to strengthen business models, access below market rate capital, and create new jobs.
+ Aniela Valtierra, Executive Director
contact: aniela@lacocinasf.org
bilingual: Spanish
pronouns: she/her
Aniela (Ani) joined La Cocina in 2013 after volunteering at the San Francisco Street Food Festival, and has spent the past 13 years growing alongside the organization and the entrepreneurs it serves. Previously serving as Deputy Director for three years, Ani oversaw two shared-use kitchens, supported a community of nearly 100 entrepreneurs, and has been integral in expanding the organization's reach through access to markets and consulting.
Ani's connection to this work is born out of personal experience. She grew up in her family's restaurant in Mexico, where she learned firsthand how small business ownership transforms livelihoods and creates opportunity. That experience shaped her understanding of food as a powerful human connector. The ripple effects that small businesses of color have on communities, in fostering belonging, preserving culture, and building long-term generational wealth have shaped how she chooses to embody hospitality, as a way of being, rooted in service, carried out with care, and centered on creating equitable conditions for underserved communities to thrive.
Aniela holds a B.A. in Hospitality Industry Management and Entrepreneurship from the University of San Francisco, is fluent in Spanish and English, and brings over two decades of experience in hospitality and social enterprise.
Beyond her work with entrepreneurs, Aniela has been a key architect of La Cocina's revenue-generating social enterprise programs, building and scaling the organization's impact through catering and events business, online meal delivery, gift box program, and Back of the Napkin graduate services, while playing a key role in giving rise to La Cocina Consulting, a growing practice that extends the organization's financial sustainability and impact. Her ability to hold both mission and margin, to build programs that generate revenue while deepening community, reflects exactly the kind of entrepreneurial leadership La Cocina practices and teaches.
Committed to community and civic engagement, she has launched initiatives like the Week of Women in Food series, led funding efforts that secured over $2M in PPP loans for small businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic, and has collaborated with the City of San Francisco's Entertainment Commission and Arts Commission.
+ Emiliana Puyana, Deputy Director of Impact
contact: emiliana@lacocinasf.org
bilingual: Spanish
pronouns: she/her
Originally from Venezuela, Emiliana Puyana began working in restaurants at a young age before pursuing formal culinary training at the Culinary Institute of America. After moving to San Francisco in 2002, she worked in professional kitchens before launching her own business, Jarred SF Brine, through La Cocina’s incubator program in 2011.
After running her business for several years, Emiliana returned to La Cocina in a leadership role as program director, where she co-developed and managed the incubator program, working closely with food entrepreneurs as they launched and grew their businesses. As a former La Cocina entrepreneur herself, she brings a unique perspective to her role and to the work of supporting small food businesses from the earliest stages through growth.
Emiliana has been featured in media and industry conversations about food entrepreneurship and small business development, including interviews and features with outlets such as Roads & Kingdoms, WorkingNation, and public radio programs highlighting La Cocina entrepreneurs and their impact on the food industry.
+ Blake Kutner, Director of Entrepreneur Business Development
contact: blake@lacocinasf.org
pronouns: he/him
Blake Kutner has been cooking and working in professional kitchens since the Bill Clinton days (one of his heroes, Blake’s not Bill’s. Although they do share a birthday). He’s done pretty much everything in the back of the house world from dishwashing to fry station, kitchen managing to grade manger, Mexico to Spain, New Orleans to San Francisco.
After graduating from Dartmouth in 1994, Blake thought he would go to medical school like most of his family had. While applying, he started working at the Copeland’s restaurant (a New Orleans based mid level chain) below his apartment, first as a waiter (think cheap fake tuxedo shirts and polyester bow ties) and then eventually as a fry cook in the all Nigerian kitchen. The swashbuckling life of the rowdy kitchen crew combined with the hand’s on gratification of taking a slimy raw product (like chicken or oysters) to glistening deep fried glory started his journey. The intellectual stimulation that cooking provided utilizing biology, physics, chemistry, history and culture has kept him doing it.
Blake is excited to be starting as our new kitchen manager at La Cocina. He believes that street food is secretly every chef’s favorite and makes up the fabric of any great city. He thinks he may have the greatest job in the world getting to learn from the true masters of cuisine and work with a bunch of bad-ass women.
If he had to pick some food favorites they’d be: boiled crawfish, oysters, barbecue and fermented things, but it feels wrong to not include South East Asian curries, fried chicken, tacos and pizza.
+ Walter Miros, Culinary Program & Facilities Manager
contact: walter@lacocinasf.org
pronouns: he/him
Walter's career in food began as a teenager, initially cooking helped pay for his philosophy degree, then grew into a passion that led him to fine dining. The thrill and adrenaline of cooking on the line got Walter hooked. But as he grew into a chef, nurturing talent became his favorite aspect. He's excited to bring his experience and skill to La Cocina.
+ Karen Garcia, Incubator Program Manager
contact: karen@lacocinasf.org
pronouns: she/her
Growing up in primarily low-income immigrant communities, Karen observed first-hand how difficult it was for family members and neighbors to access and navigate resources. This instilled in her a passion for supporting underserved communities and has led to an enriching career in the nonprofit world. She has worn many hats working with immigrants, individuals with disabilities, and BIPOC communities over the years.
Born and raised in South Central/Southeast Los Angeles, Karen loves to explore the many delicious foods the region has to offer. She believes that great food is not dictated by a price tag and is thrilled to work alongside La Cocina entrepreneurs as they create a more equitable food landscape in the Bay Area.
+ Sabrina McLean, Commissary Manager
contact: sabrina@lacocinasf.org pronouns: she/her
Cooking has always been Sabrina's passion, sparked by fond memories of watching the Food Network with her grandma as a child. Under her grandma's watchful eye, Sabrina found solace and inspiration in the aromatic symphony of simmering pots, sizzling pans and Emeril Lagasse yelling "Bam!" on TV. Growing up as a first-generation Vietnamese-American, food was more than just a meal to her, it was a powerful connection to her family's heritage and the resilience they carried as refugees of the Vietnam War.
Raised in Southern California, surrounded by Temecula's Napa-esque landscapes and fueled by California burritos, Sabrina's path eventually led her to Hawai'i, where she pursued a degree in Hospitality Management. There, she immersed herself in the islands' rich cultural landscape and diverse culinary traditions.
Sabrina's professional culinary journey began in 2017 as a hostess at a women-co-owned bistro in Honolulu. Though her role started at the front of house, it quickly became the foundation for her growth in the kitchen. Before transitioning into the nonprofit sector, she spent several years working in professional kitchens, eventually stepping into an executive sous chef role at a Michelin-recognized restaurant by the age of 25.
As Commissary Manager at La Cocina, Sabrina is eager to bring her unique perspective and culinary expertise to this vibrant community, with a deep commitment to celebrating diversity and championing culinary innovation.
+ Sandro Zamora Dominguez, Maintenance Associate
pronouns: he/him
+ Arielle Helffrich, Program Coordinator
contact: arielle@lacocinasf.org
bilingual: Spanish
pronouns: she/they
Originally from Washington, D.C., Arielle grew up in a family of phenomenal home cooks with really big opinions - mostly about food, travels, art and music. They studied Community and International Development and Spanish at the University of Vermont, with a semester spent in Argentina. After graduating, they moved directly to San Francisco, having always known it was the only (U.S.) city for them.
With a background in volunteer and event management she spent the next 10+ years working for different San Francisco-based non-profits, learning about her new city through the social services that exist and of course the delicious meals right around the corner from each of them. With an interest in education and the idea to live once again abroad she moved to Madrid to work as a teaching assistant in a bilingual elementary school and to eat all the tapas possible.
As the pandemic halted most in-person events they shifted their professional focus to new roles in the restaurant industry. Immediately loving the energy, the people and absolutely everything about this new to her world, she looked to bridge her experience in non-profits and events with her love for this new found community.
+ Monica Chable Cach, Maintenance Associate
pronouns: she/her
+ Swan Spikes, Program Coordinator
contact: swan@lacocinasf.org
pronouns: she/they
Swan's relationship with food took root on their grandparents' Texas farm, where annual family reunions became masterclasses in cultural connection. Those gatherings taught Swan that food does more than nourish, it carries stories, bridges divides, and turns strangers into family. That early lesson shaped everything that came next.
Before joining La Cocina, Swan founded Togun Wines to amplify BIPOC, women, LGBTQ, and disabled-owned wine brands, and co-opened Kinfolx, an Oakland coffee shop and wine bar built on inclusion. As a scrappy entrepreneur navigating an industry that didn't always make space for them, Swan learned firsthand how transformative the right support system can be. La Cocina's mission resonates deeply because Swan has lived both sides: the entrepreneur fighting for visibility and the community builder creating pathways for others.
As Program Coordinator, Swan focuses on connecting entrepreneurs with resources that actually move the needle and strengthening recruitment to reach the diverse food businesses across the Bay Area who need La Cocina most. For Swan, every entrepreneur supported is another story told, another culture celebrated, and another step toward a food system that reflects the communities it serves.
+ Miguel Castro, Maintenance Associate/Porter
pronouns: he/him
+ Michelle Magat, Director of Communications & Innovation
pronouns: she/her
At the age of eight, Michelle took to her sister’s manual typewriter to churn out weekly newspapers and cooking magazines, which she’d sell for a nickel a piece. This penchant for writing eventually earned her a master's in journalism from Indiana University, and her entrepreneurial spirit ultimately shaped a 25-year career in communications and marketing.
Michelle co-founded a now global communications firm, ran her own consulting business, and co-founded a school communications software startup. She has worked with two of the world’s leading communications agencies, advising brand teams at The Clorox Company, Burt's Bees, Samsung, Kraft, Nestle, and more.
Community service has always been a personal passion. She has served as a museum guide for students at SFMOMA, created curriculum and taught kindergarten computer lab at a local public school, and volunteered with La Cocina - from serving food at events to serving on its board.
+ Naomi Maisel, Partnerships & Impact Manager
pronouns: she/her
During her undergrad in Atlanta, Naomi Maisel was inspired by the juxtaposition of institutional food waste on campus and community-wide need. In response she founded and led a nonprofit group dedicated to transforming otherwise wasted produce into complete meals destined for food pantries, which led to a career managing urban gardens, supporting farmers markets, and making key decisions regarding institutional food purchasing.
After her tenure in Atlanta, Naomi moved to Bra, Italy, to achieve her Masters in Gastronomy, focusing on foodways inspired by human migrations, and culminating in a research project focusing on food as a tool for identity within the liminal space of seeking asylum. Naomi moved to the Bay in 2020 and joined La Cocina one month before the global shutdown. Against all odds she helped open the then-Municipal Marketplace, the country’s first women-led foodhall, with a focus on creating a safe and welcoming third space that centered immigrant foodways and community joy.
Since the transition of this space in 2023, Naomi has formalized La Cocina’s consulting arm, through which she shares La Cocina’s best practices and community-centered approach with mission-aligned food business incubators around the world, building strong relationships and critical thought partners.
+ Laura McGrath, Food & Beverage Manager
pronouns: she/her
Laura McGrath grew up between her grandparents' farm in North Dakota and family kitchens where food was always at the center of conversation and connection. On the farm, meals followed a steady rhythm: breakfast, lunch, dinner, lunch and supper. Her grandmother's kitchen was the heart of the house, while her other grandmother, when not clamming and crabbing on the Oregon Coast, spent hours making "Sunday gravy" with pork ribs, meatballs and Italian sausages, served with linguine and clams.
The women in Laura's life expressed care and community through food, shaping her understanding of it as something that brings people together.
Laura's path into the food world began at the bottom of the kitchen ladder, as a dishwasher, following her mom's rule that the cook doesn't have to do the dishes. She worked her way through professional kitchens, trained formally at the Culinary Institute of America, and later earned an interdisciplinary degree from UC Berkeley focused on cultures, identities and food practices.
Drawn to the Bay Area for its year-round growing season and deep connection to ingredients, she built her career working with chefs and food producers, including time at Jardinière and alongside the cheesemakers at Cowgirl Creamery. She eventually started her own catering business, which grew from an informal venture into a fully formalized company over more than 20 years, giving her a deep understanding of both the creative and operational sides of running a food business.
Having owned a food business herself, Laura understands firsthand how much determination and resilience it takes to become a food entrepreneur, and how inequities in the food industry and the broader world often make those challenges harder. That's why La Cocina's mission resonates so deeply with her. Supporting entrepreneurs building businesses rooted in culture, family and community feels meaningful to her both personally and professionally, and mirrors many of the same motivations that led her to a career in food.
At La Cocina, Laura works closely with culinary entrepreneurs as they build and grow their businesses, bringing together her culinary training, academic background and firsthand experience as a business owner to support them. She often says she still pinches herself to be part of an organization dedicated to supporting women and immigrant entrepreneurs and advancing equity in the food industry. What excites her most is helping founders turn their ideas, recipes and stories into thriving businesses that strengthen their communities.
+ Kenia Perez, Food & Beverage Retail Sales Coordinator
pronouns: she/her
Kenia learned her first words at her mother’s restaurant in Mexico. In watching her mother create an array of dishes and warmly greet guests, she developed an interest for food and hospitality. When she moved to Oxnard, California, she spent a lot of time alone as many immigrant children have to while their parents work tirelessly to provide for their families. In these unsupervised hours she would watch Food Network and recreate recipes using the toaster oven and George Foreman Grill. Food served as play, comfort, and an act of service for her mother.
She moved to San Francisco, studying communications at San Francisco State University and immersed herself in the Ethnic Studies College, meeting activists, artists, and community workers. Through this experience, she committed her personal and professional life to building a more equitable, safe, and joyful world.
She worked as a tenant rights counselor and organizer at Causa Justa :: Just Cause and then as a family defense paralegal at Brooklyn Defender Services in New York.
At La Cocina she utilizes her communication skills, commitment to community, and love of food to support the organization’s mission. She is excited to be a part of an organization that works towards collaborating with entrepreneurs in reaching their dreams. She is proud to share and highlight how beautiful San Francisco, its people, and food landscape are.
+ Shani Rollins, Catering Sales & Events Coordinator
pronouns: she/her
Shani Rollins was born and raised in San Francisco, where food has been part of her life for as long as she can remember. Growing up, she'd watch her mom and dad in the kitchen, then rush home after school to watch cooking shows on the Discovery Channel. These days, her favorite foods are crudo, chicken wings and ramen, in any form.
Shani attended John O'Connell High School for culinary arts, where she began working with her teacher, Chef Sharon Lee, at her catering business. She went on to study culinary arts at City College of San Francisco, volunteering with La Cocina along the way. Since then, she's worked front of house at several of the city's best restaurants, gaining experience across many corners of San Francisco's food scene.
La Cocina's mission resonates deeply with Shani, rooted in her passion for hospitality and food. Growing up in San Francisco gave her the chance to experience the full range of cuisines and cultures the city has to offer, and she believes the resources La Cocina provides to entrepreneurs are essential to keeping that culture alive.
As Catering Sales and Event Coordinator, Shani is most excited to get to know the entrepreneurs La Cocina supports and to learn more about the full scope of that support.
+ Hernán Martinez, Catering Sales & Events Coordinator
hernan.martinez@lacocinasf.org
pronouns: he/him
Hernán Martinez is originally from a small town in the southern tip of Texas called McAllen. As many first-generation kids, he was able to learn the importance of community and comfort through food and family gatherings. Being able to travel back and forth from Texas to Mexico regularly as a child served as core memories that instilled in him not only the richness of Mexican culture and cuisine, but also opened his eyes to the disparity that can exist between the two worlds at a young age.
He was raised mainly in Houston where he first fell in love with wine as a food runner and eventually made it to Austin’s bustling culinary scene to expand his hospitality career. In 2015, he was awarded the James Beard Ment’Or grant which led him to San Francisco to work at RN74 and later Atelier Crenn. In 2016, he achieved his Level II Court of Master Sommeliers certification in Mexico City. After working in the hospitality industry for more than 10 years, he evolved into operations and event managing roles at FourOneNine Gallery and Google’s Gradient Canopy hub in Mountain View.
At the base of his overall experience is a passion for creating spaces and experiences that bring joy and comfort. Being able to uplift and platform underrepresented entrepreneurs through food culture is what attracted Hernán to La Cocina’s mission. Having first hand experience with his mother’s own food vending ventures as a child, he understands the importance of an organization that can provide the necessary ingredients for success, stability and security.
+ Valerie Ng, Operations & Admin Associate
pronouns: she/her
Growing up in the Bay Area, Valerie Ng’s childhood food memories consist of an eclectic mix of Stouffer’s mac & cheese, fish ball noodle soup after Chinese school in Chinatown, and gumbo (a product of her dad’s stint working in Louisiana). Though her family didn’t eat out or explore new cuisines often, these early food experiences set the stage for a future interest and appreciation of global cuisines and cultures.
Valerie’s interest in food deepened during time abroad during and after college, highlighted by eating halloumi and tandoori chicken in London, tortilla española and paella in Madrid, and crepes, croissants, and couscous in Paris. Several years after those seminal experiences, a trip through China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, where she learned to cook local specialties, inspired her to pursue a career in food. She began volunteering for La Cocina’s Street Food Festival, which became her gateway to following and supporting La Cocina’s entrepreneurs and events. She found her way to the CPG world, working at Hodo Foods and Torani before landing at La Cocina as an employee.
Coming from an immigrant family which included individuals who got their start in this country working in the food service industry, La Cocina’s mission of supporting women, immigrant, and POC food entrepreneurs resonates with Valerie. Her experience working for a small immigrant-founded food business, educating consumers about a traditional ingredient and helping facilitate the company’s growth from farmers markets to retail stores and high-profile restaurants has inspired her to support a similar journey and growth for La Cocina’s entrepreneurs.
As the Operations & Admin Associate, Valerie supports La Cocina’s Financial and Administrative needs. She is excited to work for an organization and be part of a community that allows her to marry her interest in food with supporting the aspirations of talented entrepreneurs to create a food scene that reflects the diverse communities of the Bay Area.
+ Sarah Lau, Director of People + Culture
pronouns: she/her
Sarah was first introduced to La Cocina in 2010, while attending culinary and hospitality school at City College of San Francisco. She learned of volunteer opportunities with the organization and spent a few years volunteering at La Cocina's Street Food Festivals, and has loved and followed the organization ever since.
After finishing school, Sarah went on to work in some of the best restaurants in San Francisco, including Nopa, Nopalito, Liholiho Yacht Club, Dear Inga and Good Good Culture Club. She wore many hats within those businesses, starting in the kitchen before moving into the dining room to host, bus, run, bartend, serve and manage. She eventually transitioned into an operations role, supporting the restaurants with everything from payroll and R&M to accounts payable.
There, she noticed that these restaurants, like most restaurants, lacked any formal HR support, and advocated to take on that work herself. She became the group's inaugural HR person, a role she held for many years, right up until she joined La Cocina in August 2022, supporting the restaurants and the people who make them great: working alongside owners to continuously improve working conditions and benefits, and to build equity and inclusion into hiring, compensation and retention practices.
She's very proud of the work she and the restaurants' leadership teams put in to make the industry a better, healthier place to work, and wanted to extend that to La Cocina and the women of color-led businesses it incubates, combining her love of food and beverage with her passion for social, economic and racial justice.
+ Mimi Lim, Senior Accountant
pronouns: she/her
Mimi immigrated with her family to Los Angeles from Korea when she was 4 years old, with $50 to their name. As the family struggled to make ends meet, Mimi didn't have many things to eat at home, so she grew up alternating between egg and jelly sandwiches or raw eggs with rice, since her parents wanted to make sure she got enough protein growing up. Unfortunately, she doesn't like eggs anymore, but gets excited about eating anything else.
During the pandemic, Mimi had the opportunity to assess the trajectory of her career and worked on pivoting into working solely in the nonprofit industry. After researching how she could contribute to a more sustainable environment and economy, she started volunteering at urban farms while learning about hydroponic and aquaponic farming. From there, she began applying to mission-aligned organizations where she could put her skills to work supporting operations and finances.
Growing up in underserved communities and helping out at her family's businesses from a young age, she witnessed the many obstacles and barriers immigrants face, and wanted to find a way to help. Working at La Cocina is particularly meaningful to her because she wishes someone had helped her parents when they struggled with their own business.
As a Senior Accountant, Mimi hopes to use her accounting knowledge and operational experience across various industries to support not only finance and operations at La Cocina, but also the entrepreneurs the organization helps establish and grow.
+ Stephanie Goss, Operations Manager
trilingual: Spanish & French
pronouns: she/ella/elle
Stephanie grew up in Caracas, Venezuela, where an early love of baking taught her something she carries to this day: that following a process with care and intention leads to something real and worthwhile. She moved to the US to study at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, and after graduation headed west to California. It was there that she found her way into the wine industry, drawn to how deeply it connects to food and the moments people share around a table together.
Her path to La Cocina was, by her own admission, a winding one — but it led her to a mole class taught by one of La Cocina's entrepreneurs, an experience that left her both humbled and genuinely moved by the talent she witnessed firsthand. She started volunteering, rolled up her sleeves, and got to work. That instinct eventually grew into her current role as Operations Manager.
For Stephanie, this work is personal. As an immigrant herself, she understands intimately how food connects people, community, and the simple human pleasure of a shared meal. She sees her role as a bridge — helping to translate, both figuratively and literally, systems that are too often difficult to access for the communities La Cocina serves.
Stephanie is drawn to what she calls "mission ambition" — the belief that meaningful work doesn't require scale, just genuine commitment. At La Cocina, she finds that in abundance. As Operations Manager, her focus is on eliminating the "death by a thousand cuts" that can weigh down nonprofit work — ensuring colleagues have the tools, spaces, and systems they need to stay focused on what matters most: supporting the entrepreneurs and their dreams.
+ Ray Stubblefield-Tave, Development Manager
pronouns: she/they
Born in Chicago and raised in the Boston area, Ray has been living and working in the Bay since 2017. Growing up in a multicultural family, food was a key way to pass down traditions and share love – one holiday meal might have pecan pie and mac and cheese from her father’s Black American parents, and brunekaage and latkes from her mother’s Danish and Jewish ones.
The child of a social worker and diversity trainer and the grandchild of educators, Ray has been working within the nonprofit sector for the majority of their career. The focuses of the organizations have varied – arts and theater companies and a sliding-scale veterinary clinic in addition to several food-based organizations – but all have worked to create resources, joy, and abundance for communities of color.
After watching the work and eating at the restaurants of La Cocina entrepreneurs for nearly a decade (her father was gifted the cookbook a number of years ago!), Ray joined the team in 2026. She believes that building a better local food system and food economy is the base to creating the future we, our families, and our communities deserve – food on the table, money in our pockets, and access to our cultural foods, there’s nothing we can’t do from there.
As Development Manager, Ray moves money and resources to our programs and entrepreneurs, with a focus on partnering with local institutions. She is excited to continue learning and growing alongside the team and entrepreneurs, and to continue growing La Cocina’s work.