Longtime San Francisco street vendors are opening a Salvadoran restaurant in the Tenderloin

For Estrella Gonzalez and her mother, Maria del Carmen Flores, opening their restaurant in San Francisco's Tenderloin district is the realization of a long-held dream.

“My mom started with $20 plantains, and that was an idea we had because stores back then didn't sell plantain chips like the ones she made in El Salvador,” says Gonzalez, now the proud owner of Estrellita's Snacks, told CBS News Bay Area through a translator.

The family's journey to opening their own restaurant was not easy. It started more than 20 years ago on the streets of the Mission District, where Flores sold homemade plantain chips at 24th and Mission streets. However, being a street vendor brought constant challenges, particularly dealing with the police and the language barrier.

“One time the police found my mother, threw all her stuff away and told her she wasn't allowed to sell there, and she got angry and said, 'Why? I work honestly, I don't steal.' “After that we had to hide, as soon as we saw a police officer we left the area,” remembers Gonzalez.

In 2005, their luck changed when they joined La Cocina, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping immigrant women formalize and expand their food businesses. With their support, Estrella and her mother made the transition from unlicensed street vendors to successful restaurant owners.

“Estrella's mother, Maria del Carmen, was a kitchen occupier at La Cocina for at least 10 or 12 years and she was an incredibly hard-working, persistent, diligent and talented cook,” said Blake Kutner, Director of Entrepreneur Business Development at La Küche.

La Cocina's incubator program has helped over 70 participants graduate, 30 of whom have opened their own businesses. The program is designed to help talented chefs like Estrella's mother overcome the challenges of running a business in San Francisco, including overcoming language barriers and complying with regulations.

“Finding ways to harness their inherent talent and bring it to the public, to the community,” Kutner explained. “That includes helping them overcome all the hurdles and challenges we have as a city.”

With the support of La Cocina, Estrellita's Snacks has grown into a thriving restaurant known for its delicious pupusas and traditional Salvadoran and Oaxacan dishes. Gonzalez attributes much of her success to her mother's leadership skills.

“My mother has always been a 100 percent leader. She was a businesswoman in El Salvador and had a stall at the market. And my grandmother had that too. I think my mother inherited that from my grandmother, and now I'm following her.” “Following in my mother's footsteps,” Estrella said.

Now Gonzalez and her brother run Estrellita's Snacks on Ellis Street, where the menu is a blend of flavors from their Salvadoran roots, prepared with love and care.

For other aspiring street vendors looking to grow their business, Gonzalez offers some advice: “If you have a dream or a goal, don’t let obstacles stop you. Because we faced many obstacles, such as the language barrier. People said, “You won't make it because you don't speak English.” But my mother always says, 'I don't speak English, but my food speaks for me.'”

Estrella's story is one of perseverance, family and the belief that dreams – no matter how difficult – can be achieved with determination and community support.