I've gone to two different cooking classes here now, the cupcake decorating and Lunar New Year (wontons, stir fried noodles, and fortune cookies). Both were excellent! The kitchen is spacious and has everything you need. The classes are fun and you get to learn something new. Not to mention the food you make is delicious and they definitely don't skimp on the portions. Only thing to note is that these cooking classes just started and they're still fine tuning the classes so they're a bit long and could be more organized. read more

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Kitchens for Good was the caterer for a workshop I attended. They were serving tacos, sliders, and cookies! I arrived a bit late, so not everything was available when I got there. I did get to try their tacos though- I grabbed a warm tortilla and the lady added shredded chicken on top. Their were fresh salsas and toppings as well. It was really tasty, so I went back for seconds. I also ate some kind of potato dish that was pretty good too. For dessert, I only tried their chocolate chip cookie, which wasn't bad, but nothing special about it. read more

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-1 because the experiences, and how I was treated deserve this level of truthfulness! So like many others I checked this program out! I started it Chef training in 2009. I have worked in many places Thru out San Diego County, Northern California, Portland, and to Vegas. I am a Safe Serve Kitchen Manager. The only reason I looked into this program was the fact that they have their baking program tied to the Journeyman California Quals Program! In the so called tryouts portion of the first day they fail to fully explain the grading eval process. They come up with some excuses in a very arrogant ways. Let we know better then you nonsense. Laughable, because I am A Retired USN Active Duty Chief, and Navy Man for 22 years, 6months! With their shameless excuses of no team work, and other lies. WeActiveDutyNavyChief eat, live, and breath Team Work, that makes the Dreams Work, seeing the potential in those we work with, and are in charge of. The so called Sous chef they had running the the tray outs was truly unprepared. Making a simply Mexican condiment dish like Pico De Gayo, failed to have the fresh hot peppers. It was a true waste of time! They had zero plans to use the product used asking the tryoutees to take home. One Sous Chef to 15 students! With zero assistants to ensure things were moving along. They play it up! Once your actually are their the reality is truly eye opening. I not surprised. You would be better off going to a real school if that's your choice, get a kitchen Job first in a real pro kitchen so you can experience what real hard work is all about in extreme heat, loud noises, and stress. Don't get lured in. With the traffic situation because of the location when they let you out at 1600 it's going to take you 45 mins to an hour to get home. Always check things fully out! These are my experiences! They are trying to be professional, sadly fall on their sword in many ways! That's ok, like many places open & close so do schools that make claims. read more

We are so happy we hired Kitchens for Good to cater our wedding. Everyone loved the food, and the staff was so friendly and helpful. Anyone who has planned and paid for a wedding can tell you that food is the biggest expense, especially with a wedding size as large as ours (250 guests). We were lucky to have many great catering options in San Diego that provide professional service and delicious food. Kitchens for Good though was the perfect choice for me and my husband because we knew we were also giving back to our community by hiring them. When we first met with Maura and Sarah, they were very responsive to our needs and were able to create a package that fit our budget. We did a tasting session prior to hiring them, which sealed the deal because the food was amazing! They provided several samples of the options we were thinking of and helped us to narrow down the menu. We ended up with a buffet package that included two appetizers during cocktail hour, a salad, rolls, two sides, two entrees, and beverages (water and coffee). We also added vendor and kids meals. Overall, the pricing was comparable to the other four catering options we researched. Maura and Sarah also arranged a meeting with our venue, since KFG was not on their required catering list. We didn't need to be part of any of that coordination, which helped take a load off our wedding-planning plate. The day of our wedding, everything was executed as planned, at least from what we could tell. The staff was very friendly, and many of them came up to us (head chef included) with warm wishes, which we really appreciated. Our guests made it a point to tell us, even a month later, how delicious the food was and how they wished they had room in their bellies to eat more. What really sealed the deal for us was that the catering side of the house for KFG is a social enterprise. It sustains their programming to hire and train opportunity youth, formerly incarcerated, and other populations that face barriers to the workforce. We feel grateful that our decision to hire their catering services wasn't just a business transaction, but an investment in people in our community. Their pricing was comparable to others, but their social impact is priceless. We definitely recommend Kitchens for Good for all your catering needs! read more

#LongPostAlert: Meet #GalaGreta, the operations manager for Kitchens for Good who called the cops on minority professionals because she felt like it. On May 27th I hosted a Black Tie Gala celebrating professionals of color at the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation. The Jacobs Center required that we use kitchens for good, their exclusive caterer. Both companies claim to support minorities. Despite paying a substantial food and service bill, Kitchens for Good ran out of food TWO hours early. To which #GalaGreta scoffed "your guests ate too much." She then closed our open bar 30 minutes early "just because." After this poor service (that we were PAYING for) I asked if she was treating us this way because we were black. Her response was that we were aggressive, drunk, and "no longer welcome" and threatened to call the cops if I didn't leave my own event!! To wrap up I went to get the supplies and alcohol I'd brought to stock the bar but #GalaGreta refused to return them to me. Then she actually called the COPS(!!) on us - in our ball gowns and tuxedos . When the police arrived he too wondered why he was called. (Spoiler alert: There was no reason). It was an upscale gala and our guest acted accordingly!! We had committed NO crimes NOR had we damaged any property. There were ZERO fights or altercations. We simply were existing while black. Yet, she called the cops on us at 12:15 am when we had the venue until 1:00 am!! NO arrests were made or citations given. This is a pic of #GalaGreta with her hand in my face, after she'd called the cops. It was never our intention to share this publicly. But, after numerous futile attempts to get Kitchens for Good or the Jacobs Center to meet with us or address our concerns, it was clear we didn't matter to them. Our emails and calls were ignored and our "case was closed" without so much as an apology. Avoid this place like the plague read more

Kitchens For Good - This is the manager with her hand in my face - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - San Diego, California

Great store in Pacific Beach. Items for sale are clean and very well displayed. And they have free cookies that are delicious.

As an attendant of the Gala organized by the San Diego Melanin organization on the evening of May 27th, I was surprised to hear the issues with the food services company reached such a firestorm. Throughout the evening there were small hiccups in the service provided to tables, but nothing too large. I do recall a spill or two and wait staff running into each other. Even when there were noticeable gaps in food availability and a quick shift to desserts due to the caterer running out of the original hors d'oeuvres, it seemed to be a decent night. Now that I hear of the police being called by the catering company on the host of the event, there looks to be some issues with the planning and execution of the catering company. I recommend looking into the details of the evening, the general planning for such events and the reactions of the catering company's staff to the confusion that occurred. It's a shame that such a nice event has now been marred what looks to be another illegitimate call to local police due to the color of one's skin and the innate fear another has because of that color. read more

From the start, it has been a pleasure working with the staff of Kitchens for Good. Their staff was helpful and very accommodating to all of my requests. My guests were all VIPs and they were all impressed with the food and service they received the day of my event. Thank you for making me look good to my boss and Executive Team. Look forward to getting more catering orders from our organization. Naty Santos San Diego County Regional Airport Authority read more

Think Dignity celebrated its 10th Annual Gala at the Jacobs Center and worked w/Kitchens for Good to put on a great event. First of all, the staff was outstanding - both w/setup and take down! Iva went out of her way to make things special, much appreciated. Sara and Mary, thank you for your patience and guidance. The food was wonderful and it looked as good as it tasted. Our guests said it was the best event yet! Thanks again KFG for all YOU do! read more

I was a recent apprentice here and this experience was awful Yes I wanted to know how I'm going to get my payment for the training days in the days that I went. As well as I was absolutely loving being there especially after scoring at 85% on my food handlers card although I came in at 9:01 in the morning during roll call I got spoken with by my coach who is supposed to be a coach and build you up but I left because how he spoke to me brought me down . Not up he had mentioned to me that coming into school at 9:01 am with food and coffee in my hands was pretty much me having disregard for the couches and the students . I have never felt so good about myself and about going to school to better myself and my life and my son's and the same day feel belittled and felt like less than everyone else . I ended up leaving without saying anything or taking my things . I am going to yelp and google review about this . . Yes I stopped to 711 to get some food because I myself have no money I have no food and didn't have any money coming in so someone actually asked me if I was hungry and asked me if I needed a hand . So I WANT TRYING IN ANYWAY to disregard or disrupt anything. No one cares to actually get down to the bottom of why someone is a LITERALLY A MIN LATE they just assume and look down on you . I felt labeled by my coach . When really my brother is dying everyday in front of my eyes my mom is breaking down into nothing because she is watching her kid die and I know I'm not only going to loose one family member but 2 . And the only thing that took me out of my pain and suffering for 8 hours was school. When ultimately all it ended up being was a huge let down and a joke . And then non of you bothered to call and see if I'm doing ok or if I might be interested in taking the next cohort . No why would you guys , you guys feel like I'm some homeless probably drug addict because of my tattoos and of my being late . So to all the probation officers and parole officers and everyone that I tell about kitchens for goods how amazing it is will all know the truth. read more

Kitchens for Good is so amazing as they are helping the community during this pandemic! They are out there rain or shine on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:00am - 12:00pm. They are passing out free of charge 2lb meals that are frozen and can be microwave. This will help so many people in our community :) read more

KFG delivered excellent service and the food was delicious! They were prompt and professional in their communications, and their staff was extremely helpful. I would highly recommend them for any event! read more

Reading Legacies celebrated our 10th Anniversary Celebration Event at the Jacobs Center this weekend. Kitchens for Good provided friendly service and outstanding food for our guests. We were happy to work with this incredible nonprofit organization for our event and look forward to continuing our partnership in the future! Highly recommend. Thank you! read more

Horrible service with ridiculous prices. I witnessed racial discrimination against a group of young African American professionals attending a fundraising gala for a community organization. The coordinator made nasty comments, cut the program short & called the police. This isn't my first event with this company. The quality and amount of food for their prices is absorbed. Unfortunately, I won't be able to support another community event that uses them. read more

My 14 year old niece and I had the pleasure of experiencing cooking for good through the non-profit organization: Kitchens For Good. It left quite an impression on my niece, she really enjoyed meal prepping and expressed the desire to seek out volunteer work at a soup kitchen in her hometown. The location is easy to find and we were greeted upon arrival by Nina. Nina is very welcoming, supportive and enthusiastic in coordinating, informing and assisting volunteers. We were briefed with some food handling basics and then toured through the kitchen where we were introduced to that night's team of workers. It's a fun, lively environment in a professional kitchen and there is a lot going on but everything was well organized and professional. We made empanadas & fruit salad and then filled the trays of the meal that was to be handed out the next day. The time flew by and our 2 hour experience ended in what felt like 30 minutes. I'd like to also mention Chief Jones who lead the team of workers and volunteers. He was patient, encouraging, informative and supportive. Can you tell we really enjoyed our time spent volunteering? I will be applying to assist as often as I can. I really appreciate the multifaceted mission that Kitchen For Good accomplishes. I would recommend this experience for anyone who enjoys volunteering, cooking & working in a team. Thanks to Airbnb for offering such a rewarding experience! (we booked through Airbnb) read more

I highly recommend Kitchens for Good! From beginning to end they were highly professional, worked within our budget, and provided a beautiful reception for us. My organization hosted a reception for elected officials, staff, community leaders, and donors, and our guests were pleased with the food & customer service provided by Kitchens for Good. As a socially-minded catering business, I am proud to support their catering work. read more

Kitchens For Good recently catered a weekend retreat for a my organization and I plan on using them every time we host a retreat in San Diego! They're extremely professional, budget friendly and amazingly accommodating for special dietary restrictions. One of our participants with an extreme gluten allergy came up to me during the weekend and asked if he could take extra portions of his meal back to his room because he never had a gluten free wrap so delicious! We love working with Kitchens For Good and recommend their services to anyone who is looking to feed people some delicious food while helping make a difference. Thank you to Ray, Aviva and the entire Kitchens For Good team for making our retreat such a success! read more

We have hired Kitchens For Good for Emerging Leaders lunch and learn twice now and both times they delivered as promised and the food was delicious. Very reasonably priced and very friendly staff. We will hire them again. read more

We had the opportunity to collaborate with Kitchens for Good for a speaker series earlier this month. The goal of the event was to bring awareness to hunger in San Diego, and Kitchens for Good prepared and served a variety of gourmet soups and breads for our guests. From start to finish, the entire team was remarkable. During the planning process, our contact Maura worked with the chef to create a diverse and appealing menu. We had guests with specific dietary needs, and Maura ensured our menu would be both delicious and accommodating. We ended up serving a beef-based soup, as well as having vegan and vegetarian options. During the planning process we were in constant contact with the team and were able to make modifications as necessary. We were beyond impressed with the service we received the day of the event. On our end, we had a small team and weren't able to provide much direction or assistance, but both of the women staffing our event handled the hiccups with ease. They directed the set up, food service, and post-service beautifully. We were even more impressed when post event we went to see what was left to do and everything had already been done. The best thing about working with Kitchens for Good is the food. It was incredible. Several guests made a point to share with us how much they enjoyed the soups and asked for the contact information of the catering company - information we were happy to share. I highly recommend Kitchens for Good to everyone I know catering an event in San Diego. Their professionalism, food quality, and flavor were beyond reproach. When you couple in their powerful trifecta of a mission (food rescue, nutritious hunger relief, and workforce training) the choice becomes clear. Kitchens for Good is the preeminent catering company in San Diego county. read more

My wife has worked at Kitchens For Good since it became the sole ctarer for The Jacob Center. Since then, I have been able to attend events and taste their food. Chef Lidia does an amazing job when it comes to her food. Her chicken chile verde tacos are the best. I def. recommend Kitchens For Good for your upcoming event! read more

Kitchens For Good did a fabulous job catering our Bat Mitzvah Celebration for 200 at Temple Solel in Cardiff, California on July 14, 2018. Everyone loved the food, especially the salmon and mushroom ravioli. They were very accomodating with dietary needs of individuals and Kosher guidelines. When our rsvp numbers were climbing I was happy to think about the all new chefs we would be helping to educate. Wonderful organization to use for any event and support the highest level of Tzedakah of helping someone in need become independent. They are graduating their 12th class of culinary apprentices to work all over San Diego in the best restaurants read more

We hired Kitchens For Good to cater our wedding. They did a fantastic job communicating with us about our needs from the very beginning, and as we job closer to the wedding date, they stayed on top of all our plans. The food was fantastic -- people were fighting for the stuffed portobello mushrooms! We also enjoyed the salmon, rice pilaf, broccolini, and Caesar salad. The service was wonderful. They did a great job managing the tables/pouring wine/clearing tables, as well as getting the cake cut quickly for our eager guests. The prices were incredibly fair for the food quality and service, and I look forward to hiring them for my future catering needs. read more

This remarkable nonprofit is a model program and should be celebrated, honored and copied nationally. Kitchens for Good is the most humane, life-affirming and inspiring operation I have seen in a very long time. The intention is to get food to those who need it, and provide training, skills and purpose to those who've fallen off the path. This ingenious design delivers self-esteem and self-worth to individuals who've made poor choices or fallen on bad times, while providing nutritious food to children and seniors. It's a win-win. Each of the culinary school students has profound gratitude and devotion to mastering the skills, and becoming productive, successful individuals in society. On our visit, we were taught to make beautiful and nutritious spring rolls with peanut sauce. I'm now planning to have Kitchens for Good cater a luncheon, and I'm eager to discover other ways I can support this fine organization. Bravo! read more

We attended a small wedding catered by Kitchens for Good. The food was excellent and service attentive. I'm a "foodie ". They more than met my expectations read more

Our non-profit organization, Hands of Peace, was fortunate to find Kitchens For Good to help with our Spring Benefit the beginning of March. We are group of volunteers putting on our biggest fundraiser for the year and it was so comforting to have this experienced company take care of so much for us that evening. The company was easy to work with, we had some of our food donated from other sources and they coordinated and displayed it all beautifully. Their staff was friendly, professional and well trained. Our guests thoroughly enjoyed the evening and they were a part of that. We would highly recommend them. read more

Amazing food & service! Kitchens For Good recently catered our Engineers Without Borders annual fundraiser. They were professional and attentive the weeks leading up to the event and during the event itself. We received many many complements on the food as it was delicious! I would definitely recommend their services! read more

I have worked with Kitchens For Good for four years, before they were even called Kitchens For Good. They are an incredible company with incredible people. They have assisted my company with a yearly Thanksgiving Lunch for our patients every year. This event has become our patients most favorite activity of the whole year. It means so much to them. We hope to work with Kitchens For Good for years and years to come! read more

We used Kitchens for Good for an event our workplace was hosting. This was a VIP reception for donors, elected officials and community leaders. As a new vendor with us, Tiffany did an incredible job of making us feel confident in their abilities and staff. They worked within our budget, communicated consistently and quickly, and were right on time. The food was delicious and we got tons of compliments. Everyone was so pleased with the quality and with the service. read more

Kitchens for Good not only has an incredible social mission, but their food is delicious! It's so hard to find catering that's fresh and healthy. They source their produce locally and it's easy to tell! We just recently used them for a dinner at my work and everyone loved it. They made a carrot hummus that was out of this world. I highly recommend this organization and what's amazing is that by buying from K for G you know you're getting good food for your community and/or organization as well as supporting a just cause. read more

Our foundation had a reception to honor our 2019 grantees and used KFG as our caterer. The food was fantastic! All of our guests loved every item we had. We had chosen 4 different skewers, so they could be finger foods and the combinations were delicious. Kathie was also very easy to work with as we fine tuned the menu we wanted. We will definitely use them again, and highly recommend them. read more

The San Diego Food System Alliance has partnered with Kitchens for Good on multiple events. Kitchens for Good is a mission-driven organization that is committed to creating a better food system and providing workforce training opportunities for individuals in the culinary arts. I highly recommend hiring their catering services. They are an eco-conscience and social enterprise of the next generation. It feels good to hire a service that is also contributing to our society in a positive way. Their team is excellent - very responsive and on top of things. They take care of everything. Their venue is also an asset in our community. It's a perfect place for gatherings, conferences, conventions, any event you can imagine. read more

I recently use Kitchens for Good to cater my mother's 80th birthday party. We couldn't have had a better experience! The food, service, and ambiance needed to be of the highest quality for this event; my mother is very particular and has extremely high standards. I worked with Lupita to create a lovely summer menu; she was flexible, responsive, and patient with my many requests and worked with me to create a menu that fit my expectations and budget. The event manager came to the house several days in advance to scope out the layout and facilities (I've hosted many parties and never had that happen before!), and on the day of the event the team arrived on time and ready to go. They immediately set to work and transformed my backyard quickly into a beautiful party space. They were so excellent that I spent the final hour before the party wandering around wondering what to do with myself. All of our guests complimented me on the dinner. The food was delicious and plentiful (but not too much and no waste! loved that) and the service couldn't have been more professional. The bar tender kept his eye on me and our guests and quietly brought fresh drinks when he saw that our glasses were empty. I never had to ask for a refill. Fantastic! Once the party ended, the team quickly cleaned up everything. But for the small containers of leftovers and the empty bottles in the recycling bin, you'd never have known we had a party for 30 people. I've worked with most of the top catering companies in San Diego. Kitchens for Good is right up there with the best of them. read more

Attended a function last night that I sort of "ran into". I didn't know that there was a function going on but with the smell of food, music playing and people socializing, I stopped by. As it turns out, it was a venue called "Taste of the Diamond". I assume it was designed to introduce some of the food venues located within the neighborhood. My friend bought me a ticket (she was already there) and I went around to taste the different food offerings. Everything was good except for KITCHENS FOR GOOD. They were serving chicken and waffles (as if this has not been done to death). Nevertheless, there were 4 people in Chef jackets standing around giving away COLD TASTELESS CHICKEN NUGGETS WITH A DRY, UNBUTTERED AND TASTELESS PIECE OF WAFFLE. It tasted like frozen chicken nuggets from way back in the freezer that they warmed up. Not only was it ICE COLD (I asked them for another piece because it was so cold and two of the "chefs" stuck there hands in the chicken (they had gloves on) and tossed them around to see if they had ANY HOT/WARM chicken to give. THEY DIDN'T. I took a bite and threw it in the trash. IT WAS PATHETIC. Felix's had fried fish, mac & cheese and corn muffins. THE FISH WAS HOT AND GOOD, GOOD, GOOD. Someone had fresh fruit that was cold, sweet and delicious. There were tamales and tortas that were also pretty good. Nothing was as bad as Kitchens for Good. They are the reason I would never book a venue at the Jacob Center. They will not let anyone else cater in that venue. Until they do, they will NEVER GET MY MONEY, BUSINESS OR TIME. Kitchens for Good - Please hire me or real chefs. read more

On May 27th, I attended a Black Tie Gala that was serviced by Kitchens for Good. At the onset of the evening, things appeared to be going well - but as the night progressed, the experience took a turn for the worst. The staff, specifically the operations manager, was very rude. She told misleading information to specific guests, neglected to replenish food in a timely fashion, rushed guests out before the event concluded and even made derogatory remarks towards guests. Worst of all, she called the police on our group - young minority professionals, while we were exiting the venue with with no warrant (no crime or violent act had been committed) or regard for our safety given the climate today. I, personally, was appalled at the behavior of the operations manager. She completely diminished the experience of myself and other guests. I would highly recommend rethinking the decision to use Kitchens for Good for any future events. read more

I'm writing this positive review because of the outstanding customer service I received from them. We ended up not needing to book them for catering after all, but I was so impressed with their follow through that I felt compelled to share this review. I called asking for very "out of the box" catering during a holiday weekend at the last minute. Maura, their representative did everything she could to accommodate us and ultimately could. It is a change to our plans that caused us not to need them. Frankly, I'm sad not to eat the food but will be back as this is clearly a professionally run, serious business...doubly impressive since they also do so much for our community. read more

KFG catered a lunch for 20 people at my foundation this week and it was wonderful! They worked with me to make the lunch fit my schedule and budget. We also have many dietary restrictions within our staff. They took these into account and offered delicious options for everyone. read more

Kitchens for Good catered a fabulous event at my home in July! The team was very professional, while also being fun and engaging. The food was top notch. Add in the wonderful non-profit work they do as part of their business model and you have a complete winner! I highly recommend this incredible, inspired, and inspiring organization. read more

Kitchens for Good has been the venue for the San Diego Press Club's Annual Excellence in Journalism Awards for the past four years. We keep coming back for many reasons. The location is excellent, the venue itself it perfect for our event, and there is plenty of free parking. But those are just surface details. The most compelling reason for our loyalty is the fact that the staff are professional, responsive and fun to work with. I'm a perfectionist to an amazing extreme and it's gratifying to me that the staff at KFG not only respects my requests but actually partners in the planning and execution of my event. We will come back as long as they will have us! read more

We recently used Kitchens For Good for a high-end event on our property. The staff was professional, helpful and great to work with. On top of that, the food was delicious and everyone at the event was impressed. They offer a wide range of food options and make it easy to customize menus for dietary restrictions. I highly recommend them! read more

We recently utilized Kitchens For Good for a luncheon at the Jacobs Center for a group of the highest level in Management in our organization. From the planning and preparation to the implementation, the event was a great success. The tables were beautiful, the staff amiable, cooperative and very competent, and the food was DELICIOUS and artistically presented. Our experience was on a par with the catered dinners at the highly rated resort where we were staying. read more