Davila Dion holds a tray of attiéké poisson grille, a traditional dish in Ivory Coast. She has found success selling her home cooking through an unexpected platform: Facebook Marketplace. Credit...
In the cramped kitchen of a home in Queens, Tiana Webb slowly flipped empanadas in a pot of hot oil as they turned crispy and brown — just like her Jamaican-Puerto Rican family taught her.
Nearly 1,800 miles away in Hutto, Texas, Davila Dion pounded plantains into a chewy bread the way her mother taught her in Ivory Coast.
"When you use a blender, it doesn't give the taste that you want," Mrs. Dion said, opting for a mortar and pestle to mash the fruit into dough for a dish called fufu.
Ms. Webb's business, T's Kitchen, and Mrs. Dion's business, WAfrica Taste, have dozens of loyal customers.
Yes, that Facebook Marketplace. The internet's garage sale . Best known for offering sweet deals on used furniture and electronics.
These home cooks operate in a sort of legal gray area, with some states expanding cottage food laws and broadening opportunities for home food businesses. Unlike street food vendors and food truck owners, who apply for permits that are often highly difficult to obtain, home restaurant businesses have fewer hoops to jump through and rules are not often enforced. Many only sell a few meals a day or week.
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