Opening Doors

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The next major project for Rojas is setting up an "incubator kitchen" at a new community center being built on Sacramento's Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The incubator kitchen, a concept developed by a woman in Brooklyn, offers facilities to prepare food in a health-inspected and regulation-compliant kitchen on a time-sharing basis. "The problem for people that want to start a business, especially in the restaurant business, is the cost," Rojas says, estimating it should be ready to go by next summer. She sees the setup as especially useful for street vendors and people selling food at fairs and farmers' markets. "Not only that, we are going to teach them how to really start (a business) and price the food and make the industry available for them with low costs," she says.

The Opening Doors can-do style has caught the eye of other local groups. Asian Resources, a Sacramento nonprofit, wants to start business training for people looking to establish their own micro-enterprises. "We tossed ideas around with them because they have developed a number of best practices," says executive director Elaine Abelaye. "They are known for the work they do in the community, especially in helping refugees and immigrants get to self-sufficiency."

Meanwhile at Traditional Cleaning Services, Paula Gutierrez and family recently brought on their first employee, a painstaking process requiring them to scrutinize whether potential workers would be up to par. The company is also taking on more substantial clients. An upscale restaurant now hires the company to do an annual in-depth cleaning, especially of its hardwood floors and imported tiles, a project bringing in about $10,000. "I'm never homesick," says Gutierrez, summing up her nine years in this country. "Everything I am doing here is something I wanted to do."

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