{"id":509733,"date":"2026-01-12T01:23:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T01:23:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/509733\/"},"modified":"2026-01-12T01:23:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T01:23:15","slug":"local-single-mother-builds-thriving-tamale-business-through-help-of-food-entrepreneurship-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/509733\/","title":{"rendered":"Local single mother builds thriving tamale business through help of food entrepreneurship program"},"content":{"rendered":"

CHOPPED is a free eight-week course provided by the nonprofit City Heights Community Development Corporation<\/p>\n

SANTEE, Calif. \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

Isa Rosales enrolled in CHOPPED,\u00a0<\/a>an eight-week course provided by the nonprofit City Heights Community Development Corporation, to gain the financial independence she needed to leave her situation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I thought of leaving, but I couldn’t because I don’t have any family here,” Rosales said.<\/p>\n


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The program proved transformative for Rosales’s vision of starting her tamale business named Isa’s Tamales<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“CHOPPED helped a lot because, like I said, I started this business just to make ends meet,” Rosales said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Beyond teaching cooking skills, the program equips participants with essential business knowledge.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“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.<\/p>\n


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Graduates of the program receive $500 to help pay for permits and licenses. Rosales has fully leveraged this support, securing all necessary documentation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I have all of my paperwork, my permits, my license, I have insurance, I have a commercial kitchen, I have everything,” Rosales said.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Oh, they are fantastic. I’ve already sold 25,000 tamales this year. Whoop, whoop,” Rosales said.<\/p>\n


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For Rosales, the business represents more than financial success\u2014it embodies a message for her children.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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

For more information about the CHOPPED program,\u00a0click here<\/a>. To order Isa’s Tamales, click here. \u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n