At a long table inside ThirtyFour Mexican Cantina in downtown Sacramento, more than a dozen aspiring food entrepreneurs leaned forward as four small business owners spoke candidly about the struggles and rewards of turning a recipe into a livelihood.
Not all of it was easy to hear. Panelists described long days at farmers markets, confusing paperwork and the difficulty of keeping up with family while running a business.
The gathering last week marked the start of the latest cohort of the Alchemist Microenterprise Academy, or AMA, offered by Sacramento-area food nonprofit Alchemist Community Development Corporation. The 12-week training program is designed to help early-stage food entrepreneurs, particularly those from under-resourced communities, navigate the complicated realities of launching and scaling a food business.
For the new participants, the evening was less about abstract lessons and more about hearing directly from people who had once sat where they were.
“Forget the fear and just do it,” said Jasmine Bonilla, who founded Jazz’s Saucy Sauce in 2020 and went through AMA for guidance in starting her business with no prior food experience.
Bonilla was one of four panelists invited to share experiences with the new class. Alongside her were Mari Vilardo of The Chubby Cupboard, Vanessa Tapia of Chana’s Mexican BBQ, and Serapio Nambo, owner of ThirtyFour Mexican Cantina, who once rented space in Alchemist’s commissary before opening his restaurant.
Alchemist CDC launched AMA in 2019 to demystify processes that often deter first-time entrepreneurs: food permits, health inspections, branding, accounting and capital. For $300, students receive classroom instruction, guest lectures from industry experts and peer support.
The idea is to provide the building blocks of business knowledge while connecting participants to mentors and a wider network.
“Tonight we had a panel of food businesses, many of whom have gone through the Alchemist Microenterprise Academy class,” said Jacob Sacks, who manages the Alchemist Kitchen Program and leads AMA. “There’s a legitimacy to it coming from someone who’s actually been there and is in the trenches.”
Sacks said the academy prioritizes diversity not only in the backgrounds of participants but also in their products. This fall’s group ranges from a Caribbean food vendor to gluten-free bakers to charcuterie makers. “That diversity leads to better outcomes,” he said. “People approach challenges from different perspectives, and it pushes the whole class forward.”
For Jazz’s Saucy Sauce’s Bonilla, the AMA helped her move from home kitchen to shelf-ready. Friends urged her to sell what she had been making for family and posting online to a broader customer base. Curbside drop-offs turned into steady demand and plans to scale through co-packing and wholesale. She said the academy helped her with permits, funding and even the nitty-gritty of measurements and ingredients labeling.
The Chubby Cupboard’s Vilardo said she joined after feeling lost in California’s regulatory maze. The program broke information into digestible steps and, she said, gave her a clear process,“here’s the checklist, I can do it now.” She now sells wholesale and runs an incubator kitchen space, crediting AMA for helping her grow without tripping over rules.
The panelists also spoke about the less tangible sides of entrepreneurship: setting aside rest days to preserve health, refining recipes based on customer feedback and balancing family with long workdays.
For new participant Heather Grey, who sells homemade granola under the brand Made with Love, the evening underscored why she applied.
She said the academy is a way to gain structure after a year of experimenting. “Sometimes I spend money chasing an idea because someone said it was good,” she said, adding that she wants to be more deliberate in her business decisions.
Grey currently sells at the Greenhaven Farmers Market and online but hopes to expand into Sacramento’s larger Midtown market. “I want to run a more efficient business and not always fly by the seat of my pants,” she said.
AMA’s structure requires participants to attend twice-weekly evening classes and devote several hours more to homework and business planning. The time commitment can be heavy for people balancing jobs and families, but Sacks said that structure helps filter who is serious about turning a hobby into a livelihood.
The program does not provide funding directly but covers how to become “loan ready” and access capital. Graduates can apply to join the Alchemist Kitchen Incubator Program, which provides commercial kitchen space and more in-depth mentorship.
Sacks said a strength of the program is how alumni stay involved, often returning to mentor new participants.
Bonilla closed with the message she said carried her through early doubts: “Do it broke. Do it tired. Do it with a toddler on your hip. Just do it.”
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