Kitchens for Good’s mission is to break the cycles of food waste, poverty, and hunger through innovative programs in workforce training, healthy food production, and social enterprise. Through kitchen enterprises, Kitchens for Good provides strong social and financial returns to its programs, the community, and its employees by marrying a social mission with proven, business-driven strategies.

Kitchens for Good was founded in 2014 under the belief that kitchens can be social and economic engines for good in communities. Kitchens for Good works to develop community kitchens that provide culinary job training for unemployed populations, while simultaneously transforming local produce into nutritious meals for the community. In addition to tackling issues of hunger, health, and unemployment, Kitchens for Good ensures its own sustainability by building a profitable food enterprise at the core of every kitchen.

This model creates livable wage jobs for culinary graduates and generates significant profits to reinvest into social programs. In September 2015, Kitchens for Good launched its first social enterprise kitchen at The Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation in Southeast San Diego at 404 Euclid Ave, San Diego, 92114. In this 25,000 square foot kitchen and event space, Kitchens for Good operates a robust catering and events company. In addition, Kitchens for Good uses the space’s kitchen to prepare meals for their senior meal contracts and to train 100 men and women a year in their culinary job training program.

Looking ahead, Kitchens for Good’s focus is on becoming a leading provider of socially conscious foodservice in the San Diego area. Currently Kitchens for Good has two meal contracts. The first contract began October 2015 with the Encinitas Senior Center. The second contract with the City of San Marcos began July 1, 2016. In the first 4 months of the Encinitas meal program, participation increased 67% with extremely positive feedback from participants, noting the freshness and diversity of the menu.