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Chef Daniel Morales of Pacifico joined La Cocina in the fall of 2023 with a dream of sharing his unique Colombian cuisine and Latin food inspirations with the world. From the get-go, he and his partner Laura Gelvez were eager and passionate about hitting the ground running, collaborating with other La Cocina and Bay Area food businesses to share their unique, flavorful, and high-quality food pop-up concept.
Daniel's culinary journey is a unique blend of his culture, creativity, and experiences he’s appreciated over the years. Hailing from Colombia, Daniel honed his skills in culinary school in Peru and further enriched his knowledge in the kitchens of La Mar Miami and La Mar San Francisco. Laura complements their business concept with her expertise in operations and marketing, and a keen eye for creativity in the kitchen. Together, they aspire to open a community-oriented restaurant, a space that prioritizes local and sustainable business practices. Like many entrepreneurs in our program, their passion for sharing their culture and delicious food with the world is accompanied by their larger goal of creating a business that can give their young daughter, Amelia, a brighter future.
Since joining La Cocina, Laura and Daniel have embraced collaboration, building strong relationships within their cohort and the broader business community. In less than a year, Pacifico has made remarkable progress toward opening a community-focused restaurant. Their dedication to excellence, cultural storytelling, and genuine connection with others make them a vital part of our program—we can’t wait to see what’s next.
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Anahita SF Catering is a Persian catering business owned and operated by Chef Anahita Chavoshi. Growing up in Tehran, Iran, Anahita was surrounded by values that cherished food, family, and hospitality. Some of her best memories were of loved ones visiting her family home for celebrations and dancing while enjoying her mother’s food. To this day, Anahita names her mother and other matriarchs in her family as her biggest influence.
Anahita immigrated to the U.S. in 2005, and while she was adjusting to her new lifestyle and meeting new people, she found herself missing her culture – particularly the act of sharing food with others. This motivated Anahita to cook the dishes she missed most, like Mirzaghasemi (a popular eggplant dish from Northern Iran), to share with coworkers, neighbors, and new friends. The positive response was a wake-up call for Anahita to realize she had inherited her mother's talent, and all her time spent in the kitchen paid off with a gift of preparing delicious food meant to be shared with others. From there, Anahita SF Catering was born, and like the humble beginnings of many La Cocina businesses, Anahita initially operated informally from her kitchen, preparing catering orders for friends and family for special events and occasions.
Anahita’s vision for her food business is to open a traditional Persian restaurant in San Francisco that feels like home for her customers, influenced by the restaurants where she grew up eating in Iran. She pictures a welcoming and cozy atmosphere, filled with big tables for groups of meals to share various dishes. Cultural integrity is essential to Anahita, and she aspires to include touches like having cushions on the floor for people to eat, linger, and enjoy a long meal with loved ones. When Anahita reaches a sustainable point in her business, she dreams of using part of her profits to support food security efforts in Iran that help children and their families.
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Dulce Maná was born in Colombia, where Chef and Owner Claudia Omaña learned baking and dessert creation from her grandmother via her family business that specialized in flan and tres leches. In Colombia, Claudia was a nurse for most of her adult life. However, she realized in migrating to the U.S. that her transition to the same career would be challenging. Claudia didn't want to be defeated by this obstacle in her new life. She relied on old family recipes and techniques to pivot to selling cakes and other desserts informally to friends and family for extra income. This became the very beginning of Dulce Maná – a bakery with sweet Colombian flavors inspired by family recipes and history.
Claudia was one of seven entrepreneurs to participate in La Cocina's spring cohort pop-up dinner. The goal of the event is for newer businesses to learn the ins and outs of planning, stretch their culinary creativity, and execute a ticketed, seated dinner. Additionally, Claudia collaborated with La Cocina-born Panamanian business, Tilín Tilín, to participate in La Cocina's delivery food subscription program, Panza Llena, Corazon Contento.
Claudia's goal in preincubation was to find a way to produce cakes and desserts for commercial and business-to-consumer distribution, which she is achieving - most notably selling her desserts at Estrellita’s Snacks, another La Cocina-born business. Eventually, her dream is to open a small dessert cafe.
