In high school, he would skip class to hang out with friends and cook arepas for everyone.ДЄguilera began selling arepas from his bike to San Francisco bar-goers a few years ago but never made enough money to leave full-time restaurant work. By age eight, he was butchering chickens by hand to make arepa fillings. HeвЂ™s been making arepas since the ripe age of four. We all know what we want to leave behind from this past year, but what about the hopeful and truly nourishing local businesses that arose out of necessity, invention, and a leap of faith? ShouldnвЂ™t these creative home kitchens have the chance to become a permanent part of San FranciscoвЂ™s food culture?ДЄguilera, who was born in Valencia, Venezuela, has always dreamed of bringing his native food to San Francisco. Many of these grassroots businesses became successful enough that their owners were able to hire employees and make plans for a future thatвЂ™s not defined by masks and imposed separation. The majority operate in a legal gray area without cottage food permits, and most Bay Area counties have yet to opt in to a California law that would give home cooks a path to above-board operations. On any given day in the Bay Area, if youвЂ™re clued in to the right networks, you can buy sourdough bread, hand-pulled noodles, salsa macha, fresh pasta, elaborate pastries, and Singaporean laksa - all made in home kitchens. Aguilera is part of a new wave of cooks who started selling food out of their homes during the coronavirus shutdown, many out of both self-preservation and a desire for a new beginning during a deeply uncertain time.

вЂњNecessity is the mother of inventionвЂќ might as well be the tagline of our current moment. What started as a survival-mode side hustle soon blossomed into a full-fledged business with employees, though Aguilera still cooks out of his home kitchen and cycles around town making deliveries. People fell in love with the charm of fresh arepas delivered via bicycle all over hilly San Francisco. A deluge of texts and new orders followed. Then, one day in April 2020, he woke up from a nap to an Eater SF article about his arepas. To make ends meet, he started working for third-party delivery apps.

He donated leftovers to homeless people in his neighborhood. A handful of orders came in, which he delivered on his bicycle. On a whim, he posted pictures of his arepas - Venezuelan griddled cornmeal cakes stuffed with fillings like shredded beef, plantains, and avocado - to Instagram and waited. The San Francisco restaurant where he worked, The Brixton, had closed due to the Bay AreaвЂ™s stay-at-home order, and it was unclear when heвЂ™d see a paycheck again. Victor Aguilera had $60 left in his bank account when he started selling homemade arepas.

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