The San Francisco Restaurant Industry Would Not Be What It Is Without This Food Incubator

Dear Pros,

You've got Amelia this week. At Food & Wine, we talk a lot about what gives restaurants longevity — what is the secret sauce that enables a restaurant to stay open for five, 10, even 20 years? But something we could stand to give more attention to is the nonprofits that have supported restaurants for decades.

La Cocina, the San Francisco-based food incubator, is celebrating its 20th anniversary next month. What started as a community kitchen quickly evolved into a full-service program, providing low-income women, immigrants, and people of color with all the tools they need to launch a successful food business. Since 2005, La Cocina has supported 150 businesses and 500 entrepreneurs, many of whom — like 2019 F&W Best New Chef Nite Yun and 2023 F&W Game Changer Reem Assil — have become industry leaders.

When Veronica Salazar graduated from the six-month program in 2012 and opened her own restaurant, El Huarache Loco, the organization's success stories "ballooned," says La Cocina's Executive Director, Leticia Landa. "There were 15 graduations in the next three years, because people saw it was possible — seeing a Spanish speaker who started off cooking at home, actually opening a restaurant. That representation is really significant."

Additionally, this network of alumni has created more opportunities for La Cocina entrepreneurs. It's one thing to have an externship at a top restaurant in San Francisco, but doing that and also working under the wings of someone who has gone through the exact same program is incredibly empowering.

The secret sauce for La Cocina? "Community," says Landa. "This is such people-centered work. People look to the alumni, people look to staff. People attend a class or come to an event and get a sense that these are people they want to work with."

Not only has this sense of community led to 20 years of survival, but it's also created restaurants with a legacy of their own, like Yun's Cambodian restaurant, Lunette, and Assil's Arab restaurant and bakery, Reem's California. "One of the facts that I'm proudest of is that 72% of graduates from La Cocina, starting from 2005, are still in business," says Landa.

"We're not just about starting businesses — we're about sustaining them and making sure that they can contribute to the economy, create jobs, and become an asset that the business owners can pass down to the next generation. This is really long-term work."

La Cocina will be celebrating this landmark anniversary on May 1st with a gala at the Rincon Center and the release of a commemorative map (PDF) that displays all the La Cocina-incubated businesses across the Bay Area. If you're interested in supporting La Cocina, here's what they suggest:

Eat: Explore and support the incredible businesses that have grown out of La Cocina. Discover your new favorite restaurant with La Cocina's 20th Anniversary Business Map.
Donate: Help La Cocina provide affordable kitchen space, mentorship, and sales opportunities.
Cater: Bring La Cocina's talented chefs to your next event.
Gift: Send a gift box of artisanal packaged foods from La Cocina entrepreneurs.
Read: The We Are La Cocina cookbook features 120 recipes from 40 La Cocina chefs.

Until next time,
Amelia

P.S. Does your restaurant have an extraordinary dishwasher — someone who is the backbone of your kitchen? We want to hear about them for an upcoming story. Shoot me an email about who they are, and how they impact your restaurant.