Cafe 101 recognized by city

The ties that bind SF State to the community at large were on display last Wednesday at the Cesar Chavez Student Center.

With speeches from Supervisor Susan Leal and representatives from the offices of Assemblyman Willie Brown, Mayor Frank Jordan and the Mission Economic Development Association, it could have been another forum on the future of San Francisco. Instead, along with SF State President Robert A. Corrigan and officials from four Bay Area corporations, the gathering in the student center honored last summer's groundbreaking agreement between the center and Bob and Linda Sanchez, the proprietors of Cafe 101.

With the assistance of the MEDA, a non-profit organization that helps ethnic minority and women-owned businesses secure loans and contracts, the Sanchez family won a competition this summer among 21 potential vendors for the space now occupied by Cafe 101.

"On behalf of the mayor of San Francisco, it is my pleasure to read this proclamation proclaiming today Bob Sanchez day in San Francisco," Mayor Jordan's spokesman, Robert Oakes, told a crowd of about 70.

Some groaned like spectators at a football game where the winning touchdown pass is dropped in the inzone.

"We recognize that Linda Sanchez has been a partner in this process, and we congratulate you too," Oakes quickly added.

Al Bodera, president of the MEDA board of directors, presented a certificate of appreciation to the Cesar Chavez Student Center from the organization.

"I used to attend (SF State) many moons ago, when I was younger, and I enjoyed my time here. But now that I see the center... I'm really impressed, and I'm sort of jealous. I wish this place was here when I was going to school here. We had the lawn, and the library -- one or the other," Bodera said.

Eurania Lopez, chair of the student center governing board, accepted the award on behalf of the center.

"Bob deserved it. It was a very heavy competition, and there was a lot of coffee to taste. The process is just incredible... it is not an easy task," she said.

Leal was also honored with an award by MEDA, which receives 75 percent of its funding through the city and 25 percent from PG&E, Pacific Bell, Levi Strauss, and Wells Fargo. In addition, Leal brought her own award for the Sanchez family.

Ivan Munoz of MEDA said Cafe 101's success was unusual because often large non-minority contractors will succeed in getting bids, and then subcontract to a few minority and women-owned businesses. But in this case, Munoz said, "We had a minority-owned business, a Latino business person (Sanchez), in the lead."

As a result, all of Sanchez' subcontractors are minority or women-owned businesses.

[ Golden Gater Online October 3, 1995 ]

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