Cocina 66 Kicks Off Second Year Of Helping Hispanic Entrepreneurs Grow Business Concepts

Cocina 66, is the sister program of Kitchen 66 and is funded by the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation. It began last fall and focuses on Spanish speakers who want to open a food business.

Wednesday, September 28th 2022, 4:38 pm



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Tulsa’s food incubator program for Hispanic entrepreneurs is kicking off its next session after helping 20 entrepreneurs in the first year of the program.

Cocina 66, the sister program of Kitchen 66 and funded by the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation, began last fall and focuses on Spanish speakers who want to open a food business. News On 6 got an update on the program by talking to past participants and new ones as more aspiring business owners start their training this week.

Valeria and Trinidad Romero make special sauces for their Venezuelan dishes. The sisters own Arepa Bar, selling from Takeover Cafe at Mother Road Market.

“This is a great city,” said Valeria. “We are so grateful for this city, this state, this country. Everything has been amazing for us."

 The sisters said their business is top 10 in sales at Mother Road Market although they started just four months ago after graduating from Cocina 66 in the spring.

"To know people, know what people want to eat and what works and what does not work," said Valeria.

Elian Hurtado leads the 10-week training with Cocina 66, which covers all the legal steps of opening a business.

"We talk about licensing,” explained Hurtado. “All the permits they need. We tell them about how to sell the product, marketing, branding."

Hurtado said of the 20 graduates in the one year the program has been around, three have opened food trucks, seven are selling at Mother Road Market and one is opening a restaurant.

"I got emotional because all you need is to give them the tools,” said Hurtado. “When you give them the tools, they can shine, they can succeed."

Sisters Maria "Cristina" and Nayaheli Moguel started the program this week and are excited to learn.

"The steps to follow to open a business to learning more," said Cristina.

"We have an idea of what we want, but we need to know the steps,” explained Nayaheli.

Their goal is to open a Mexican brunch restaurant and have their family help cook just like they do at home.

The current 10 participants in the fall 2022 session will graduate in December with a private food showcase.

Those interested in participating in the spring session can apply in January here

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