From momos to masala, Boston enjoys a rich diversity of cuisines, but starting a food business, especially if you are an immigrant, is no walk in the park. Three years ago, Nibble — the culinary arm of the Somerville Arts Council — launched a culinary entrepreneurship program, geared toward members of the city’s immigrant groups. “From the get-go we saw a huge opportunity in the diversity of Union Square,” says Rachel Strutt, the Arts Council’s cultural director. “Over the years we’ve done about 50 cooking classes; we’ve done everything from Mexican to Salvadoran and Moroccan, and those were taught by members of the immigrant communities. We learned there were people who wanted to make a profession out of their love of cooking,” says Strutt, who now directs about a dozen students through workshops on everything from ServSafe, to marketing, to recipe development. The director says the Arts Council has its own food license, “So under the umbrella of Nibble we invite our entrepreneurs, our students, to put theory into practice. Through the workshops, they develop a product and then they can actually hit the streets and go out and start vending.”
One of the graduates of the entrepreneurship program is Carolina Rendon, whose family owns Cantina La Mexicana in Union Square. Strutt says she was surprised when Rendon reached out, as she has helped run a restaurant for 15 years. At the Cantina she spends her days cooking behind the scenes, while her husband, Robert, interacts with customers and catering clients. The salsa business she pitched to the Arts Council is something she wanted to do for herself. “[Rendon] is passionate about salsa. She talked about growing up and her mom picking chile de arbol from the trees around her house, so it really touches upon her heritage,” Strutt said. “And her family has really been encouraging of this, which is great.”
Another entrepreneur, Sandra Suarez, had been experimenting with quinoa bowls — the so-called superfood is a staple in her native Bolivia. A few weeks ago she decided to pivot, concocting a sweet quinoa coconut horchata for the Union Square Farmers market, where every other week students
sell their products. Strutt thinks she’s hit on something — before the market closed, Suarez’s drink had sold out. www.somervilleartscouncil.org/nibble