Yvonne Hines is a San Francisco native, more specifically, her family grew up in Bayview Hunters Point. Family gatherings were often spent together in the kitchen, where her great grandmother would cook and everyone else would pitch in, creating a feast for friends and family. That love of cooking was part of the reason she opened a store, in her very own neighborhood, in 2006.
Hines’ family moved to Bayview Hunters Point from Texas in the 1940’s. Her great grandparents lived on Paul Avenue. Their house would be a gathering spot for friends, family and the neighborhood, and that meant Hines would spend a great deal of time in the kitchen, helping out. “When I settled into the Bayview, I wanted to open a restaurant. I saw a real need for good soul food, not only here, but in the entire city,” she said. “But I also wanted to own my own space. So after making my pralines for friends and family, everyone told me I should open a shop of my own.”
Working with city officials (along with her own hard work and entrepreneurship), Hines started selling her treats at festivals and events around the city, renting space at a commercial kitchen in the San Francisco Naval Shipyard. After a few years, and working with the city and Bayview Merchants’ Association, she finally had a store of her own in October 2006. “I actually had some concerns. There were a lot of vacant storefronts at that time, on 3rd Street itself, a lot of spaces were neglected,” she said. “But despite what some will call a black eye, I knew the neighborhood really had a lot of good.”
Hines continues to work with the city to make her own improvements to Yvonne’s Southern Sweets. She was part of SF Shines, a program aimed at improving commercial corridors through facade improvements. She now has a sign for her space, an improved decor inside, and as she said, a “real presence” on her block. “The city is investing back to improve storefronts. This let’s people know that yes, I am open, that they can stop in, that there is a real business here. It also allowed me to make the necessary changes to get up to code, all as a worry-free process,” said Hines. “I owe the city a lot.” The next step for Hines is to add an oven in her shop. Right now, she has just a tiny toaster oven to make due, transporting all her items from the commercial kitchen to her store.
Since opening, there has been mostly positive developments for Hines. But she also knows the situation could be better. “A big draw was the [SF Muni] T Third Street Line. There was a lot of hope that this would help businesses on that [3rd Street] corridor, help bring more people to the neighborhood. But when you really look at it, people don’t get off the T Line. They don’t stop and walk around to the different businesses in the area,” Hines said. “It is hard to attract business, even with the Muni line. As a whole, we all need to look at this question - how do we better promote the Bayview? It’s still hard for businesses to just rely on people walking in. You’ll get your regulars, but I’m hopeful we can really make this neighborhood a destination.”
Hines is doing a lot of that promotion on her own. She often signs up to sell her food at festivals and events around the city, gets catering gigs, and is a weekly participant in the Bayview Pop-Up Market. When people ask her where her store is, she always makes sure to promote the Bayview, singing the virtues of the neighborhood. “But that stigma still exists. A lot of events in San Francisco slight BVHP, whether its food trucks, a farmer’s market,” she said. “When the America’s Cup was in town, no one ever mentioned the Bayview, or asked businesses here to participate in events. I’m grateful for everything the city has done to help with my business, but I also hope they can better promote the Bayview.”
Despite some of these difficulties, Hines continues to always have a cheery, refreshing attitude whenever a customer walks into her store. Although she is probably best known for her pralines, her butter cookies are also a huge hit (and please don’t sleep on her delicious pecan pie!). She works with local organizations, employing interns throughout the year, helping teach them life skills and provide work experience for them. “I’m really happy with the way things have gone for my business. I get a lot of great feedback from people - they really identify with the food and in many cases, reminisce back to their own childhood,” Hines said. “That’s why I love doing all these events and meeting new people. It’s not only great to help promote my business and this neighborhood, but I just love to see people’s faces, their reactions. That makes me happy.”
Yvonne’s Sweet Treats is located at 5128 3rd Street. You can also find Yvonne at events throughout the city (follow her on Twitter and Facebook to find out if she’s coming to an area near you).
Tomorrow, a look at All Good Pizza, which in many ways, is the epitome of how Bayview food businesses are trying to build the community.
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