CHOPPED is a free eight-week course provided by the nonprofit City Heights Community Development Corporation

SANTEE, Calif. — A single mother of three who escaped an abusive relationship has transformed her life by launching a successful food business with the help of a free training program designed for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Isa Rosales enrolled in CHOPPED, an eight-week course provided by the nonprofit City Heights Community Development Corporation, to gain the financial independence she needed to leave her situation. 

“I thought of leaving, but I couldn’t because I don’t have any family here,” Rosales said.


The program proved transformative for Rosales’s vision of starting her tamale business named Isa’s Tamales. 

“CHOPPED helped a lot because, like I said, I started this business just to make ends meet,” Rosales said. 

Beyond teaching cooking skills, the program equips participants with essential business knowledge. 

“She makes amazing tamales, her tamales are incredible, but as a business owner, you are also expected to be an accountant, you’re expected to be a marketing professional, you are expected to be your own lawyer and that doesn’t come naturally,” said Michelle Ascencio with City Heights CDC.


Graduates of the program receive $500 to help pay for permits and licenses. Rosales has fully leveraged this support, securing all necessary documentation. 

“I have all of my paperwork, my permits, my license, I have insurance, I have a commercial kitchen, I have everything,” Rosales said.

Isa’s Tamales has found significant success at farmers’ markets, art shows and breweries across the region. This year alone, Rosales had a banner year. 

“Oh, they are fantastic. I’ve already sold 25,000 tamales this year. Whoop, whoop,” Rosales said.


For Rosales, the business represents more than financial success—it embodies a message for her children. 

“It doesn’t matter what we’ve been through; we still deserve the world, and we can work hard for it,” Rosales said.

For more information about the CHOPPED program, click here. To order Isa’s Tamales, click here.