February 23, 2024 – A big food story is unfolding with little fanfare.
But soon it will start capturing more attention.
At least that’s my prediction, thanks in part to a rare Found Treasure named Yana Todorova, a talented character out of central casting, if only central casting did Bulgarian math professor-yoga coach-moms with a gift for fancy French desserts.
The big food story is the legalization of microenterprise home kitchen operations—known in the community as MEHKOs—through which home chefs can start making and selling their own pastas or pizzas or peanut butter pies.
MEHKOs were legalized years ago (Jan. 1, 2019) but are only finding traction more recently because each of California’s 62 jurisdictions (counties and cities with their own health departments) have to opt in to the program before people can sign up and get evaluated as clean and safe producers. (Inspectors look at everything from water heater temperature to cold storage to pantry upkeep; only a small fraction of California counties have opted in to date.)
The good news there is that Monterey County jumped in the game fall 2023, and Todorova represents the very first chef to sign up, which she did once her family moved here last year.
Her backstory proves striking, and made her something of a media darling in the Central Valley, where she taught math at CSU Bakersfield.
The Cliff Notes version goes like this: She moved to Mexico from her native Bulgaria to study math, fell in love with a fellow engineering grad student and called Puebla home for seven years, got a doctorate in computer science and a master’s in computer engineering, moved to California to teach, gave birth to triplets, took the whole gang to Thailand to study at Le Cordon Bleu Dusit, kept teaching math, but also Ashtanga yoga and cooking (she now leads a half dozen culinary classes like sourdough bread or Italian panna cotta at Cabrillo College).
Next family adventure: Japan for five weeks so she can complete an intensive class on sushi.
“The entire time I want to be in the kitchen the whole day, or I want to go to a restaurant, all the time [it’s] food food food—and watching The Cooking Channel,” she says.
When asked how she navigates all the divergent demands of teaching, starting a business and motherhood—the kids are 9, do they help?—she suggests cooking is less labor than self-care.
“The triplets and my husband are my official testers, and one of my sons gives me grades every lunch and dinner,” she says. “But I enjoy my alone time in the kitchen. Active meditation!”
Her story offers intrigue, but let’s not bury the lede: That wouldn’t matter much to the Edible audience if her desserts weren’t OMG-grade.
And they are.
Todorovi Boutique Desserts features all sorts of French-leaning treats, several of which I’ve tried and none of which disappointed, each popping at first morsel then lingering on the palate—with the mousse bar making me say dang out loud.
“Very high end desserts,” as Todorova puts it, “but totally worth it for everyday life.”
For our taste test, the high-end action—beyond the Valrhona chocolate mousse with satisfying crunch layer on the bottom—included a pear-shaped white chocolate mousse, pumpkin cheesecake and hazelnut macaron.
She also does contemporary Neapolitan pizzas and organic sourdough bread. Interested parties can sign up for their own treats via Facebook or Instagram, or by emailing Todorova directly via ytodorova82@gmail.com.
Resilient Foodsheds founder Peter Ruddock has been following Todorova’s progress as a dedicated advocate for a fair food system that, in his words, “respects the Earth, and builds a strong, resilient local economy.”
Three major pathways he cultivates to improve local food access include direct farm sales, cottage food operations, and MEHKOs, the latter which he’s helped counties statewide, Santa Clara County included, adopt. (Santa Cruz and San Benito county ordinances are under discussion but a ways off.)
“My trajectory has me working on improving the regulatory environment that small businesses work in, regardless of what they produce, and then as a part of that, steering them toward organics,” he says.
He’s encouraging his network to check out a free County of Monterey Health Department workshop on MEKHOs permits, resources and success stories called “Launch Your Food Business from Home.”
That happens 10am Thursday, March 21, at the Salinas Police Department’s Community Room. (The Spanish version kicks off at 10:30am.)
“Whether you’re a seasoned chef, a passionate home cook, or someone with a secret family recipe, this workshop is tailored for anyone dreaming of turning their culinary talents into a flourishing home-based business,” the meeting’s brief reads.
Part of the magic of MEHKOs, Ruddock adds, is that it gives so many aspiring entrepreneurs a chance to see if they really want to turn their passion into a business—without the massive overhead of a brick and mortar. (He estimates microenterprise start up costs to be around $1,000.)
“It’s all about connecting people to their food, what it is and where it comes from,” he says.
More on Todorovi Boutique Desserts via its Instagram.
About the author
Mark C. Anderson, Edible Monterey Bay's managing editor, appears on "Friday Found Treasures" via KRML 94.7 every week, a little after 12pm noon. Reach him via mark@ediblemontereybay.com.
