We San Franciscans believe there are two necessities of life: food and community. Not only can we spell and pronounce escarole, but we will also talk about it in our blogs and over lunch. Since 1940, our little Bi-Rite Market on 18th Street has been living this mission with us, providing enormous benefits to the neighborhood and beyond.

"Samtown," as some patrons call it, is not just a corner market—it's part of the modern Mission lifestyle: relax, nourish, and stay connected.
When Sam Mogannam took over the family business in 1998, there was a general awareness of organic food, but skepticism remained high. Since Bi-Rite had been sourcing locally and organically for decades, they were experts in sustainability, so they educated patrons through their labels.
Customers began to understand the environmental impacts of various foods and that with choice comes accountability. This is why Bi-Rite's bottom line is not a number, but a belief that the farmers and their land, their 75 loyal employees, and the community all deserve a healthy environment to thrive in.

As I approach the Ferry Plaza on this beautiful Saturday morning, I'm unaware of how far this Farmers' Market extends to the backside of the Ferry Building, facing the water. The front offers a small taste of all the flavors and bright colors that you will encounter throughout the entire market. Some farmers come all the way from the central valley and drive for hours to exhibit and sell their fresh produce and other products here in the city. It seems to be a win-win situation for people like me, looking for affordable and great quality produce, and for the farmers, who can make a living or earn an extra income by making this trip to the Bay. I also enjoy the added bonus of being able to interact with the vendors directly because it gives me a sense of where my food comes from.

There are free samples of deliciously juicy oranges, grapefruits, pomegranates, as well as a variety of other foods. As I try some of them, I find it hard to resist the urge to spend all the cash I have in exchange for these

LA COCINA
By Laura Zimmerman

Walk down Mission Street on a Saturday night, and a hog shaped cloud of sizzling bacon will invade your nostrils. In addition to the curbside, late-night, bacon wrapped hotdog staple, we've got many more street cart favorites including rolling crème brulee, walking tacos, and carts of cookies. San Francisco has left no crumb behind in the race to street food innovation, and La Cocina is the (wo)man behind the curtain you can thank for a lot of the movement.La Cocina was an idea hatched by the staff at Women's Initiative for Self Employment