\u201cThe kitchen will not only be a place where vendors will cook food and comply with environmental health regulations,\u201d said Veva Islas, executive director of Cultiva La Salud. \u201cIt will be a location where hopes and dreams for food vendors will be brought to reality.\u201d<\/p>\n
This critical step toward finally building the new space for vendors to prepare and store food comes more than five years after Fresno\u2019s street vendor community suffered a devastating loss \u2014 and city officials received a wakeup call \u2014 on the day that vendor Lorenzo Perez was shot and killed on the job<\/a>.<\/p>\n A community kitchen was just one of several promises<\/a> city officials made to vendors in the wake of Perez\u2019s murder<\/a>.<\/p>\n Leaders with the nonprofit acknowledged that the timeline to bring that dream to life has taken longer than anyone anticipated. But Cultiva La Salud Board President Karen Aceves said she hopes it can serve as a lesson on \u201chow community investment works.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cToo often, we ask small organizations to carry large responsibilities without giving them time, planning resources, systems or the staff required to succeed,\u201d Aceves said.<\/p>\n \u201c(Cultiva\u2019s) journey shows us another way: Fund the planning. Strengthen the institution. Listen to the people closest to the work. Help build capacity,\u201d she added, \u201cinstead of simply making demands.\u201d<\/p>\n The project has a total budget of $5 million, of which Cultiva has raised $4.2 million to date, mostly through philanthropic organizations like the Vesper Society and 11th Hour Project. The City of Fresno also chipped in with a $700,000 grant.<\/p>\n The progress celebrated on Tuesday also comes after several setbacks for Fresno food vendors in recent years.<\/p>\n Some of those stem from actions at the federal level<\/a> with the Trump administration\u2019s aggressive crackdown on immigration enforcement. But other obstacles have come from the decisions of local elected officials.<\/p>\n The Fresno City Council has increased regulations and fines for sidewalk vendors multiple<\/a> times<\/a> in the past few years, despite fierce<\/a> pushback<\/a> from vendors and advocates.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, the Fresno County Board of Supervisors also killed a pilot program<\/a> that would\u2019ve allowed food entrepreneurs to legally serve customers out of their homes.<\/p>\n Islas, who has been a vocal critic of these city and county policies, seemed to acknowledge these ups and downs as she invited Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias up to the podium to speak on Tuesday.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_1053-scaled.jpg\")
Veva Islas, executive director of Cultiva La Salud, pictured at a news conference on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. Julianna Morano | Fresnoland<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_1078-scaled.jpg\")
Supporters celebrate the next step toward the construction of a long-awaited community kitchen for mobile food vendors in Fresno at a news conference hosted by Cultiva La Salud on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. Julianna Morano | Fresnoland<\/p>\n