Latina entrepreneurs share wealth, knowledge

When San Francisco restaurateur Traci Des Jardins collected $30,000 in prize money from Bravo TV's "Top Chef Masters" last year, she promptly passed on the check to La Cocina, the nonprofit Mission District incubator program that supports low-income edible enterprises, many run by Latinas.

At Oakland's recent TEDx conference on farmworkers, two Latina speakers - Amelia Ceja of Ceja Vineyards in the Napa Valley and Maria Catalan of Catalan Farms in Hollister (San Benito County) - talked about the challenges they faced as Spanish-speaking farmhands of limited means toiling in the fields with their parents.

Fast-forward to today and these business owners, both firsts in their fields, help other Latinas do well in the food world and beyond.

For chef Dominica Rice - who recently opened Cosecha, a Mexican cafe in Swan's Marketplace in Old Oakland - employing, training and promoting Latina employees is a top priority. And those who get a helping hand from La Cocina give back by volunteering for community causes and sharing profits with the organization that supported their startup business. READ MORE