To close out the year, we've asked contributors to choose their favorite story of 2017 and let us know why they selected it.

North Beach neighborhood editor Nathan Falstreau picked Owner Of Bayview's 'Auntie April's' To Debut 'Café Envy,' which ran on October 26th.

"This was one of my favorite interviews this year," said Nathan. "Each restaurant or business story we cover at Hoodline is unique, but this one stood out to me for a couple of reasons."

For starters, restaurateur April Spears is working with Hoodline's Bayview neighborhood editor, Meaghan M. Mitchell, to open the new venture. "They were very clear about why they chose the neighborhood and what type of food would be served," he added.

"Spears and Mitchell wanted to create a model for young African-American entrepreneurs in the neighborhood to not only foster community, but to encourage residents to reinvest locally and be able to stay," he said.

Here's an excerpt from the original story:

April Spears, proprietor of comfort food eatery Auntie April's (4618 3rd St.) is launching a new venture, called Café Envy. The eatery will feature healthy fare and aims to foster community and create a model for young African-American entrepreneurs in the Bayview.

For Spears, expanding her business has been in the works for some time.

"The number of African-American owned restaurants in the city of San Francisco are few and far in between." she told Hoodline. "I can count those owned by black women on one hand. It's my passion to preserve the legacy of black businesses in this city and in my neighborhood especially."

"She's always been interested in doing other things," said Meaghan Mitchell, Spears' community partner and also a Hoodline reporter. "We sat down one day and talked about what we wanted to see in our district and shared a lot of the same interests."

Continue reading Nathan's favorite story of 2017, Owner Of Bayview's 'Auntie April's' To Debut 'Café Envy.'