My husband and I worked with La Cocina to cater our wedding this fall and they were such a delight to work with! From the start, they were so supportive and collaborative in making sure we had an amazing taco bar for our wedding reception. Closer to our big day, they were flexible and helpful in making sure we had solid rental partners as well as an incredible ice cream bar. Major shout-out to Carrie for all of her help in making our big day so seamless with delicious food! And of course, major thank you to Mi Comedor and De La Creamery for an amazing dinner and dessert offering! read more

La Cocina just catered a 2 day 170+ person event for us in SF at Fort Mason. Food was amazing. Staff were amazing. The food business that did each meal were incredible and each brought their own personal flare and magic. Highly recommend for any catering needs! We will definitely work with them again. read more

I worked with the La Cocina team on various projects, including hosting some of their female entrepreneurs for an International Women's Day panel. I love La Cocina's mission and continue patronizing businesses that come out of their incubator. Please keep up the good work! I created a collection of all their graduates: https://www.yelp.com/collection/L6ViJ1DgblK6Rd60jupQZA?sort_by=alpha read more

La Cocina Community Kitchen - Book Presentation - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - San Francisco, California

I've been a big fan of La Cocina's incubator program and love that it has helped many women launch unique and successful food businesses. During the pandemic, we learned that La Cocina has been putting together weekly community food boxes so we ordered an East Bay box and picked it up on a Tuesday afternoon at Nyum Bai in Oakland. There was a variety of mains, appetizers, desserts, and "extras." My favorites were Mama Teav's Chili Garlic Oil from Nyum Bai and Musakhan from Mama Lamees. Our order also came with a very full box of delicious fried chicken from Minnie Bells. It took the 2 of us three days to finish the entire box. There were items that we would've never tried if it hadn't been packaged together like this. We also are happy to have had an opportunity to help support these wonderful women entrepreneurs during a difficult time. read more

The source for a lot of unique, pure, Delicious foods in the Bay Area. ie Mistipies in cafes around town, Peas of Mind organic kids snacks, LoveMore truffles, several killer vendors at the Alemany Market, and on. Helping local people preserve and promote heritage TASTY foods. "It's a nonprofit shared use commercial kitchen and business incubator. La Cocina was founded to serve as a platform for low-income entrepreneurs launching or expanding their food businesses. La Cocina assists low-income food entrepreneurs by providing access to a fully approved and equipped commercial kitchen and to the training and technical assistance they need." read more

La Cocina Community Kitchen - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - San Francisco, California

Hats off for putting on the Street Food Festival last weekend - please see my review and festival suggestions below (thank you!): San Francisco Street Food Festival Category: Local Flavor Neighborhood: Mission 8/23/2009 I quite liked this festival - sorry to all that didn't have quite as good a time, but you've got to know what to expect from these types of events. Reasonably priced good food = hoards of people. Before going, I checked out the website to see who the vendors were and what they had to offer. Took the 27 Muni, hopped off and made a bee line for the Absinthe booth because I could see the growing craziness of long lines at most booths. Luckily, I hit it at the right time and was able to buy all 3 (Jamie's famous hot dog, cheddar cheese corn nut brittle and peach & sage brush non-alc drink) Absinthe tastes and was happy as a clam! :) Yum-o!! As I followed a line of people through the hoards of people waiting in other lines, I can see how other people were majorly frustrated. I wanted cebiche clasico from La Mar too but saw the looooong line and turned back around & I also wanted something from Bi-Rite but they didn't look quite ready yet. So, I decided to be happy (very happy, you rock Jamie!) with what I had and grateful that I was able to snag the food that I did. Next year, suggestions for the fest crew are: * Have dedicated walking areas along the fest booths so people can walk through and check out the other booths without having to snake passed people who are standing in line (I'm sure this was very annoying for them, I sure wouldn't like it) * Yes, definitely allow plenty of room between booths and organize rope mazes so that people can stand in a line that wraps around like those at Disneyland/Magic Mountain, etc. and not one long line that goes into infinity * Each booth has got to be manned with plenty of people so that the line can move quickly - separate people to cook, serve and take money - proportional amounts of people behind the booths to serve lots and lots of people -- makes sense, right? Well, while the intentions of this fest were AWESOME, the end result was mad hoards of people who ended up eating elsewhere out of hunger and pure frustration. But as a regular fest-goer, if you have a plan, know what to expect and get in and get out ASAP as I did, these kind of fests are always, always a BLAST - til next year!! And in the meantime, I'll be checking out the other vendors' restaurants who also participated - what a great way to get their name out there! read more

Just an awesome concept... San Francisco's First Incubator Kitchen. Great food, people, and mission/values. read more

What a treat to finally experience this incredible space with such wonderful food. The highlights were Kayma, run by Chef Wafa and Mounir Bahloul. My husband is salt restricted and the food was not salted, instead the flavor came from how skillfully prepared it was and the delicious spices. We are looking forward to coming back soon and trying other dishes. We also had food from Los Cilantros. It was so delicious and the enchiladas were made with homemade tortilla and stuffed with tender, shredded white meat chicken with very delicious sauces. Again, we can't wait to return. It is well worth the trip from Walnut Creek. read more

I could go on about how La Cocina's mission is a noble one and something worth supporting whenever possible, but that would almost take away from the fact that this community kitchen puts out some friggin' fantastic food. The concept is to give lower-income entrepreneurs access to a full commercial kitchen, along with training and advice. It goes to show that with the right equipment, culinary wonders are always possible. Take a look at some of the businesses they help out: http://www.lacocinasf.org/business_directory.htm, some personal favorites are Inticing Creations and CMB Sweets, not to mention the gorgeous Latin American cuisine I've tasted when they catered an event we did at Cantina. Definitely worth taking a look, buying from, and supporting in general. read more

I have been excited to support La Cocina since it's early days, but over the years have had a string of bad experiences. I work at a women's organization and we make it a point to support women-owned businesses. So, a couple of years ago I had two different La Cocina caterers cater important corporate meetings. The food was fine both times, but the deliveries were late (the second time they were an hour late) and totally disorganized. It was impossible to get in touch with either the caterer or La Cocina staff for assistance. I stayed away from La Cocina for 2 years until I saw that they had their new stands, a revamped website, etc. They looked like they had gotten it together, so when a friend had a baby I decided to send her a La Cocina gift basket. Big mistake. Their site said that I could include a gift message (makes sense since it's a gift basket). I paid and then found that there was no such opportunity. I emailed and asked to have a gift message enclosed. Never heard back. I called to check in on it and never heard back. The package was sent 5 days later than promised without any sort of identifying information about the sender. The recipient had no idea when she received it that it was from me until I called her and told her. Boo. That's the end of my support for La Cocina. read more

I took a sausage making class here with Chef Ryan Farr, who's been making headlines for his awesome chicharrones. We came out with 5 lbs of three delicious types of subtle, refined seasoned sausage. The venue does other cooking classes that I've been curious about and it also helps out the women in the community. Definitely support this place. read more

I wanted to say a huge thank you to La Cocina for making our wedding food dreams come true. They coordinated with El Buen Comer to give us a fabulous high end family style Mexican feast, equipped with a taco bar during the cocktail hour. Everyone was raving about the food. Maribel was our liaison and she was amazing throughout the whole process. She even came through at the last minute and helped us when the rental company we originally ordered plates, glasses, etc. went out of business a week before the wedding. Maribel found all new gorgeous rentals the next day! I love the mission of La Cocina and will continue to support them. read more

La Cocina Community Kitchen - La Cocina and El Buen Comer catered our wedding. Here I am saying hi to Maribel of La Cocina who made it all happen. She is amazing! - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - San Francisco, California

A commercial kitchen incubator, with business training along with the industrial oven, state of the art sink and other amenities. The concept is visionary. And the food rocks! Last night was an open house at La Cocina - for $5 you get amazing, gourmet, home-made treats served by the wonderful women chefs themselves - many of whom are immigrants just starting out with their own business. Ever see Kika's Treats at the Ferry Building? Well, there was Kika herself serving her treats last night - among more than a dozen other great women chefs! Sign on to their mailing list so you can hear about the next open house - www.lacocinasf.org read more

La Cocina is a place for people that love food. I first met the awesome La Cocina crew at the Ferry Building Farmer's market. I was hooked after my first sample but had to make sure and had a few more! I found myself returning every Saturday just to get package of Claire's squares. Then an opportunity came up for me to organize an event at the kitchen. Jason and Caleb helped me plan a cooking party for a friends birthday. They made it easy for me. I just had to pick a date and show up. It was so much more fun than any of us imagined. They really made it a party and not just a cooking class! We all left with a smile. Last week I joined them for another cooking class and learned how to make mole. We sipped on wine and munched on some snacks while we chopped and sliced away. When the lessons were over we all sat down for dinner to enjoy the hard work. Read the other reviews or go to the website to to learn more about their mission. read more

ATTENTION! This is not a restaurant! Okay...now on to the review! I just attended a great jam-making event at La Cocina hosted by the Cornell Entrepreneur Network. Featuring the food and talent of two of La Cocina's businesses (Mistipies and cmbsweets), we had a lot of fun making three different kinds of jam and peanut butter cookies to boost! We got to meet the business owners (Yumna and Carolina) and the staff of La Cocina (Valeria and Caleb). Everyone was super-friendly and committed to the organization. La Cocina is a "nonprofit shared use commercial kitchen and business incubator." They do great work with helping people who love to create food make a business with their talents by providing a commercial kitchen facility and assistance with all the intricacies around creating a food business. If you are looking for a place to donate time or money, please check out La Cocina. They are especially looking for food scientists with a little time to give! read more

YUM. Plaintains with a mole dipping sauce. BBQ Chicken mini tostadas and Fish mini tostadas. Delicious and a nice community business... read more

The last review I wrote was more than three years ago so it's time for an update. Things have changed at La Cocina. Caleb Zigas is not director of operations anymore having taken over as Executive Director of the organization and, though it hardly seems possible, the clients and the staff keep turning out more and more incredible food representing cuisines from every corner of the world. I am in love with La Cocina. As I stated in my last review, the whole atmosphere reminds me of home and the women who cooked and sold their food out of their homes. The only difference is we did not have any women who were Ethiopian or Indian or Russian or... well, you get the idea. The foods of La Cocina are a cornucopia of tastes and flavors and smells. Anytime you have a chance to visit any of the folks who incubate their businesses there, please do. You will not regret it. read more

I've never been to their actual location in the Mission, but they catered the Yelp Elite event last night and they made the BEST graham crackers I've ever had in my life. Super-addictive- I couldn't stop eating them once a bowl of them was placed on my table. They were buttery and sweet with a nice amount of cinnamon-just totally awesome. Now I just need to find out where I can get more of them. They also made mini tostadas with either chicken and red sauce or ceviche, both with fresh queso on top....again, delicious and a good compliment to the margaritas. I just wished they had more of them throughout the event. Awesome food from an awesome non-profit....I'm definitely all for getting more of their food and supporting an excellent cause. read more

So disappointed in the cooking class. You'd think for the price of the class ($65), you'd actually do the cooking but no, not really. You got to chop a few things while the teachers did the actual cooking. There was no true instruction. I won't be back for another lesson. Great social experience with drinks and appetizers--really good food. read more

Thank you La Cocina for being a great local bay area company! I ordered their sampler baskets for the Holiday season through Foodzie.com. They not only let me fedex them cards to include in the baskets, but I put in the orders on Friday, shipped out on Monday. They also called to make sure they had the names/baskets all corresponding. They are the most professional group of people. They really are a stand out above the norm. I definitely appreciate their promptness and attention to detail. If you need to send out a Holiday gift basket this season, send them a La Cocina basket, they will love it! read more

I used LaCocina last year for catering for a low-budget event and they were fantastic. They now have a new catering manager and now they are terrible. They do not return phone calls and are very slow to respond to e-mail. If you are looking for catering for a low-budget event, look elsewhere. read more

Another fabulous non-profit helping get food-related businesses off the ground in SF. They have a number of volunteer opportunities (http://www.lacocinasf.org/donate.htm) and are sponsored by The Women's Foundation of California (http://www.womensfoundca.org/). read more

La Cocina is simply incredible! From the facility to the staff to the creative and interesting events! The ladies in the program make some really incredible food. From Kika's treats to Giselle's Alfajores and empanadas! I don't remember her name, but one of the ladies (from El Salvador) makes the most INCREDIBLE tamales! Then there was the morning glory chai! So delicious. It's easy to go on and on about the food. But, it is also important to acknowledge the staff that helps all that happen. I have only met two of the current crew, Caleb and Jason. They are dedicated, hard working, and extremely driven to create the best environment possible for these ladies to move their food from their home kitchens up to a full fledged professional level. The diversity of experience within those walls is really inspiring. I wish there was a La Cocina in New York. And if you knew what I knew, you would wish there was one near you too. read more

I was so disappointed by my experience with La Cocina. We really wanted to support this organization and its community caterers by hiring them for our event, but after a month of waiting for a proposal from ANY of their caterers and no reply to our reminder emails to La Cocina staff, we're giving up on them. :( read more

Feelgood nonprofit with great food! Thanks for sponsoring the Yelp event last night, the food was fantastic!!!!

My wife and I attended the truffles event on Wednesday and had a great time. The women behind Kika's Treats and NeoCocoa were on hand to teach the truffle making and walk us through it. The staff were helpful and created a great atmosphere. I love the concept and would definitely support a business "incubated" by La Cocina. read more

La Cocina handled the catering for my daughters wedding. Maribel was wonderful to work with- very kind and always responded right away if we had questions. The day of the event things went smoothly- food and service were excellent. I highly recommend La Cocina! read more

I love the mission of this organization, supporting new businesses with their community kitchen, but I love even more the fact that they sell the products of those biz at a booth at the ferry building farmer's market. I crave clairesquares now, shortbread and caramel with chocolate (dark for me please) and love the chai, the pies, the alfajores, I could go on, but the pants are all ready too snug! Check this booth out and feel good on a number of levels! read more

Love the businesses they are incubating! Great mission, superb classes and fantastic staff. Check out the La Cocina booth at the Ferry Building. read more

La Cocina Community Kitchen is a nonprofit incubator for local food artisans. It was created a number of years ago by a partnership between some local donors and the Women's Foundation of California, which remains its fiscal sponsor. So it is a very creditable organization. The organization provides a very high grade commercial kitchen for the cooks, plus supports them with business planning. You can go there for publicly available cooking classes (Whole Foods) or book time for adult birthday parties, corporate team builders etc - working with one of their sponsored cooks. I was there last week with co-workers for a cooking team-building activity with Chiefo Chukwudebe. Chiefo is a Nigerian woman who has a cooking, catering, and packeted foods business. We created several dishes - Suya Chicken, Tomato Stew, Papaya Salad, Scotch Eggs - and had a very enjoyable experience cooking, eating, and learning more about San Francisco's foodie culture. Recommended! read more