Do you want to know where you can find the best gluten free in California? Search no further! Follow For Gluten Sake and find the best 100 percent gluten free places around the globe, so that you can get out there and travel! Bringing you Pica Pica: 100 Percent Gluten Free California.
Arepas might be the way to my heart or most certainly one of the ways to my heart. I discovered them several years ago and could absolutely eat them every single day. Arepas and tacos. Who is with me?! Pica Pica is a family owned business, that clearly has a love for the food they provide. Enjoy this interview with Adriana of Pica Pica!
MEET ADRIANA LÓPEZ VERMUT AND HER FATHER,
LEOPOLDO LÓPEZ GIL, CO-OWNERS OF PICA PICA
LOCATED IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOU! (INTERVIEW WITH ADRIANA)
My father and I started a restaurant with the idea to stay connected to heritage and family. As I started my family he wanted to make sure that my children would know where I came from. The idea of a restaurant came about in Napa Valley at Sally Gorndon’s restaurant in Yountville, when she told us that someone was planing on opening a market like the Ferry Building in downtown Napa. She put us in touch with Steve Carlin, the developer for the Oxbow Market and the idea for an arepera too off.
We opened the first Pica Pica in January 208 and then the second one in SF in 2010. It has been quite an adventure to introduce a new food concept to the Bay Area- it wasn’t always easy or enjoyable. In fact, if it weren’t for my father’s steadfastness I would have probably given up somewhere along the way. But I am glad that we stuck it out as today people enjoy eating arepas as a regular food option. I now have four little kids and still continue to enjoy being partners with my father as we continue our journey as entrepreneurs together.
WHY DID YOU START YOUR GLUTEN FREE EATERY/BUSINESS?
We made Pica Pica 100 percent gluten free about 6 months after opening. Because our core ingredients are corn, yuca, plantains an taro, we had a lot of customers asking us if the food was free of cross contamination. We quickly realized that we cold serve this community’s needs without compromising our menu or recipes. So we decided to really ensure that we had no traces of gluten in our food. My personal sensitivity to the issue stems from the fact that my maternal grandmother had celiac disease and was lactose intolerant. I have so many memories of how hard it was for her to eat anything or anywhere without risking getting sick. So it was easy for us to make the shift and become a 100 percent gluten free restaurant.
TELL US SOMETHING FUN ABOUT YOUR CITY.
San Francisco is eclectic and adventurous when it comes to food. And people love to be outdoors!
IF YOU COULD TRAVEL ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD AND MONEY WERE NOT AN ISSUE, WHERE WOULD YOU GO?
I would like to hide away in a small cabin in the Nordic countries or go travel all around Asia! Quiet and not quiet.
WHAT IS ONE THING YOU WANT THE COMMUNITY TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR EATERY/BUSINESS?
That this is a family project, where the motivation has always been a love for our heritage, our traditional around food and a lot of pride for who we are as Venezuelans.
With my love for arepas, I day dream of heading to Venezuela. Pica Pica is a place that is on my list to visit the next time I’m in the Bay Area, since I cannot believe I have not been to eat their deliciousness. I used to live in Monterey and would take trips up to San Francisco when we could. I still have lots of friends scattered throughout California, so I know I will be heading there soon. Have you been to Pica Pica? Let us know your favorite type of arepa you tried in the comments below!
ADDRESS: 401 VALENCIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103, USA
WEBSITE: PICAPICA.COM
PHONE: +1 (415) 400-5453
HOURS: SUNDAY-THURSDAY 11AM-9PM | FRIDAY-SATURDAY 11AM-10PM
*all photo credits are to the establishment.
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