“When I was out of work during the pandemic, I thought this would be a good option,” Marcos Buenrostro said. “I love to cook, and I thought it would make sense to sell pizza from home.”
Marcos Buenrostro is the owner of Mexiforno, a company that specializes in creating unique pizza combinations and king-sized tacos, which he makes at home on a four-burner stove. The Micro Enterprise Home Kitchen Operation (MEHKO) program, introduced in Santa Barbara County in 2021, allows people like Buenrostro to legally sell food from their home kitchens.
MEHKOs received further support this spring from the Board of Supervisors, which unanimously approved a $44,548 grant for a one-time fee waiver for individuals who want to prepare and sell food from their home kitchens.
The pandemic has spurred many creative business ventures, some of which require safety oversight, and the creation of MEHKO has made it possible to do both. Previously, anyone wanting to sell food from their home had to have an industrial-scale kitchen and go through a more stringent licensing process.
According to the Department of Public Health, there are currently 24 MEHKO locations approved countywide, with Mexiforno being the first facility.
Many stores, including Mexiforno, have seen business boom even during the pandemic. “Like many MEHKOs, we're only working 8-12 hours a week, but we sell out every time,” Buenrostro said.
To keep brick-and-mortar restaurant owners happy, MEHKO is required to keep its annual revenue below $100,000, but some say it could easily exceed that figure if it had the opportunity to boost sales.
Despite these constraints, MEHKO remains a competitor to traditional restaurants. Mexiforno says social media is its biggest weapon. “Other restaurants are filling up thanks to the content we create,” says Buenrostro, who manages Mexiforno's Instagram. “We just advertise our opening hours on Instagram, and they're still filling up.”
According to the Public Health communications team, the primary goal of the county's grants is to encourage the development of home cooking businesses in areas with few dining options, specifically rural and unincorporated areas such as Cuyama, Los Alamos and Isla Vista.
“As a chef and foodie, it's very difficult for me to find gourmet dining options in Guadalupe,” Buenrostro emphasizes. “In Santa Maria, I'd put burrata on my pizza and people wouldn't know what it was.”
Potential MEHKO owners can now apply for the necessary sanitation permits free of charge, with grant funds paid to environmental health officers to cover the costs of reviewing permit applications and inspecting homes.
Encouraging the establishment of MEHKOs in food deserts by waiving permit fees “will help communities have better access to healthy food, including those living in housing that lacks cooking options or nearby grocery stores or restaurants,” Public Health said.
“It's a great source of income and people are eating good food,” Buenrostro said. “Everyone is happy.”
