Jessica Wang, 39, grew up in LA and now lives in Eagle Rock. This transcript is based on a conversation with Wang, and has been edited for clarity and length.
Wang: I define “making it” as an ongoing process.
I'm a small business owner working in food. I teach fermentation classes, and I also have a small grocery and deli bakery concept in Chinatown called Gu Grocery.
My family is Chinese from Taiwan, and so I want to just share my culture through the food I'm making.
When 2023 came around, it just felt like everything was going downhill really fast. Just starting the year with my car dying and having to get it towed. [And] I got this crazy electric bill. It was three times what I normally would pay. It came to me when I didn't know when my next job was going to be. And I only have so much energy to produce my own events and classes.
And when I was going through this very challenging financial time, I thought: Maybe I need to learn about CalFresh benefits. I applied and I ended up being eligible.
At this time, I was a farmers market vendor, and so I would buy stuff from my neighbors at the market using my CalFresh bills. And the first few times, I felt like I had to explain myself. I think my self-consciousness about being an EBT recipient was wondering if people were judging my business.
I really love the idea of “making it” as literally making it. Like, I am in the process of making it. And what “it” is — is really just creating something meaningful that feels connected in community.
Based on my own definition of “making it,” I do feel like I am making it.
Wang is doing much better financially now, and was able to secure grants and CDFI loans to open her grocery store in Chinatown this fall.