About Us
Who we are
Kitchens for Good is a San Diego-based employment social enterprise that creates pathways to economic mobility through food.
We work with talented people who have historically had limited access to employment and business ownership opportunities. Through State-Certified Apprenticeships, entrepreneurship programs, paid on-the-job training, commercial kitchen access, business and financial services, and mission-driven social enterprises, Kitchens for Good connects people with the tools and opportunities to build careers and businesses.
Our Vision
A San Diego where everyone has access to a quality job.
Our Mission
Transforming lives through culinary arts.
Our Values
Equity
We operate in a way that is fair, accessible and welcoming to all. We remove friction, communicate clearly, and ensure consistent standards across all stakeholders
Sustainability
We operate a business model that generates economic value while simultaneously improving social and environmental outcomes
Human Service
We see the whole person. We respond with dignity, structure, encouragement, and accountability.
Growth Mindset
We improve systems, not just outcomes, and foster a culture of innovation, continuous improvement and learning
Impact
Talent is distributed throughout our community. Access to opportunity is not.
Kitchens for Good removes barriers between talented people and the training, work experience, infrastructure, and business resources needed to build economic opportunity.
Our Story
Our Story timeline entries (hidden on the live site). Edit the year and text here. To add a year, duplicate a card and put it in order. Keep the order inside each card: year, then description.
2014
Kitchens for Good (formerly known as Phoenix Foods, USA, Inc.) was founded by forward‑thinking individuals dedicated to resolving food insecurity by ending food waste and developing a workforce training program that would lead to living‑wage jobs for people negatively impacted by the justice system, housing inequities, or substance and mental health challenges.
2015
In September, Kitchens for Good launched its first social enterprise training kitchen at the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation in Southeast San Diego, taking over operations of a robust catering company, acquiring its 36 staff, hundreds of catering clients, and 25,000‑square‑foot kitchen and venue space.
2016
By January 2016, Kitchens for Good was operating an award‑winning catering enterprise along with culinary job training, food rescue, and healthy meal production programs from the Jacob Center in the San Diego Promise Zone.
2017
In March 2017, Kitchens for Good’s Project Launch program became California’s first certified culinary apprenticeship program, specifically designed for individuals with barriers to employment.
2018
Kitchens for Good was awarded a California Apprenticeship Initiative grant to launch a certified Baking apprenticeship program using its Project Launch culinary model to meet San Diego’s Accommodations and Food Service industry’s growing employment needs for bakers.
2019
In 2019, Kitchens for Good expanded its reach to North County San Diego by assuming operations of the kitchen and restaurant at the Moonlight Amphitheatre in Vista.
2020
Kitchens for Good’s Project Launch was approved to add a Hospitality apprenticeship program to train customer‑facing roles complementing the back‑of‑house focused culinary occupations. When the pandemic hit in March, Kitchens for Good quickly pivoted to meet the growing need for food assistance and scaled its existing hunger relief production from 2,000 meals pre‑pandemic to over 15,000 meals a week by May.
2021
Kitchens for Good moved onto the Salvation Army Door of Hope campus, fully operationalizing the baking and hospitality apprenticeship programs to attract more enrollees and meet the labor demand caused by the pandemic. The organization enhanced many Project Launch offerings, including its food service operations at The Rady Shell, to help apprentices gain customer service skills.
2022
Kitchens for Good SHOP had its grand opening in Pacific Beach, which sells donated kitchenware, diverts them from landfills, and reinvests any profits to support core programs. Kitchens for Good also successfully launched WORKS, its temp‑to‑hire staffing agency and employment social enterprise.
2023
Kitchens for Good launched its Dual Instruction Program, allowing apprentices to begin working sooner while continuing classroom instruction. This flexible model helps individuals facing barriers to employment gain experience and income faster while building long‑term career skills.
2024
Kitchens for Good expanded its impact through the San Diego County youth detention meal contract, creating sustainable earned revenue while providing paid, hands–on training for apprentices. The organization also deepened its focus on food entrepreneurship and began planning for a permanent home.
2025
Kitchens for Good launched its Microenterprise Apprenticeship Program, supporting aspiring food entrepreneurs with business coaching, training, and access to commercial kitchen space. The organization also celebrated continued growth of its apprenticeship programs and earned–revenue social enterprises.
2026
Kitchens for Good purchased its permanent home in Bankers Hill, establishing the future Culinary Impact Center. This space will unite workforce training, entrepreneurship, and meal production under one roof to expand impact across San Diego.
Our story continues today
See how we’re continuing this work and creating impact.