What's Cooking Fresno helps entrepreneurs develop their food business

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The smell of delicious sweets and treats fill the inside of Liz Guzman's Fresno kitchen.

"I think it's therapeutic for me. I get some quiet time by myself if I'm lucky," said Liz Guzman of Corazon Baking Co.

Guzman loves to bake and runs Corazon Baking Co. and makes everything from empanadas to cookies and more.

She's baked treats for coffee shops and has plans to be at pop up events like the Fulton Street Party.

"I also love the part where I get to share what I make and I put on a smile on people's faces and people are always asking 'what is this? how did you do this? what did you put in it?' i enjoy that a lot," Guzman said.

Guzman has been furthering her knowledge in and out of the kitchen by participating in What's Cooking Fresno.

It's a training program launched by Metro Ministries as a part of the Better Blackstone Initiative for people who want to launch a food business.

"We heard from people in the community wanting to start food businesses that they needed a little more support. they needed those connections and they needed those opportunities to safely launch a business so they could have a stepping stone between the idea phase and taking that giant leap of buying a food business or buying a food truck or signing a lease on a physical brick and mortar space," said Kelsey McVey, project manager.

Participants are enrolled at Fresno adult school and learn culinary skills and business skills. They go to class twice a week to learn.

Professionals from the community have stepped in to teach too.

"To me its such a privilege to be able to gain this knowledge from professionals and it's not coming out of my pocket," Guzman said.

She has been absorbing all of the free information so she can grow her own business.

"I would like to open my own little bakery . i want to start small, but I also want it to be big news," Guzman said.

Liz is just one of 24 people taking part in the What's Cooking Fresno program. They will open applications again in May and kick off the second year of the program in August.