The national grant arrives at a pivotal moment for the nonprofit, which is developing what it describes as San Diego's first Culinary Impact Center - a permanent regional headquarters designed to dramatically expand workforce development, food entrepreneurship, culinary education, and community food access under one roof. Located at 2250 Fourth Avenue in Bankers Hill, the four-story campus will become the largest facility in Kitchens for Good's history and consolidate programs that have operated out of multiple temporary locations throughout San Diego County for more than a decade.
Founded in 2014, Kitchens for Good has become one of the region's leading culinary workforce development organizations, providing tuition-free culinary and pastry training to people facing barriers to employment. Participants include justice-involved adults, individuals recovering from homelessness or addiction, veterans, opportunity youth, and others seeking stable careers in San Diego's hospitality industry.
The nonprofit currently serves more than 400 apprentices annually through California-certified culinary apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs that combine classroom instruction with paid, on-the-job experience at restaurants, hotels, bakeries, and hospitality businesses throughout the county. Graduates have gone on to work at respected local establishments including Panama 66, Trust Restaurant, Hotel del Coronado, Bahia Resort Hotel, and dozens of other hospitality employers.
The new Culinary Impact Center represents a dramatic expansion of that mission. Rather than functioning solely as a training kitchen, the facility is envisioned as a comprehensive culinary campus centered on workforce development, economic mobility, and food innovation.
Plans call for multiple commercial teaching kitchens, expanded classroom space, a working bakery, a dedicated chocolate workshop, breakout event spaces, business incubation facilities for emerging food entrepreneurs, and a public-facing Market Café where apprentices will gain paid, real-world restaurant experience serving customers. The campus will also feature an expanded retail component and outdoor market designed to help graduates and local food entrepreneurs test products, establish sales histories, and grow their businesses.
According to Kitchens for Good, the project will double its training capacity while creating new opportunities for aspiring chefs, bakers, food service professionals, and culinary entrepreneurs. The organization also plans to significantly increase its production of nutritious meals for San Diegans experiencing food insecurity while expanding partnerships with institutional meal providers and community organizations.
Perhaps the most ambitious element of the project is its microenterprise program, which aims to become California's first certified workforce training program specifically designed for food entrepreneurs. The shared commercial kitchen space will allow participants to develop recipes, manufacture products, receive business coaching, and bring food concepts to market without the enormous upfront costs typically associated with opening a commercial kitchen. Ultimately, Kitchens for Good hopes to scale the program from approximately 10 entrepreneurs to as many as 100.
The Jacques Pépin Foundation's Partnership Circle Grant will help support one of the center's most visible features: the Market Café. Unlike traditional culinary schools that rely largely on simulated classroom environments, the café will operate as a real public restaurant where apprentices earn wages while preparing and serving meals to customers. Foundation officials said the café embodies Jacques Pépin's lifelong belief that culinary education should emphasize strong technique, disciplined craftsmanship, and the ability of food to create opportunity and bring people together.
"The Jacques Pépin Foundation's Partnership Circle Grant comes at a transformative moment for Kitchens for Good," said Jennifer Gilmore, CEO of Kitchens for Good. "The organization is developing 29,000 square feet of commercial kitchen and workforce development space designed to expand access to quality culinary jobs, accelerate food microenterprise businesses, and strengthen food security for community members who need it most."
The Jacques Pépin Foundation selected only four organizations nationwide for this year's Partnership Circle Grant awards.
Founded in 2016 by legendary French chef Jacques Pépin and his family, the foundation has distributed more than $2 million to over 100 nonprofit culinary training organizations across the country. Kitchens for Good first partnered with the foundation in 2019.
The Bankers Hill project also marks an important milestone for Kitchens for Good itself. For years, the nonprofit has operated programs across several leased facilities while searching for a permanent home capable of supporting its long-term vision. After an extensive search, the organization purchased the former commercial building at 2250 Fourth Avenue, citing its central location, proximity to transit, large footprint, and flexibility for commercial kitchen infrastructure.
Construction and kitchen buildout are expected to cost approximately $2.8 million, with Kitchens for Good partnering with HomeAid San Diego on portions of the project. The organization is also preparing a capital campaign to help fund the remaining work.
While the new headquarters takes shape, Kitchens for Good will continue operating its popular Pacific Beach retail shop at 980 Hornblend Street, where donated cookware, kitchen tools, and dining items are sold to help fund apprenticeship programs. The nonprofit also plans to keep hosting its monthly outdoor market while transitioning additional programming into the new facility. If all goes according to plan, the Culinary Impact Center is expected to open in mid-2027.
For San Diego's hospitality industry, the project arrives at a time when restaurants continue facing persistent workforce shortages and aspiring food entrepreneurs struggle with rising startup costs. By combining tuition-free workforce training, paid apprenticeships, commercial kitchen access, business incubation, and public-facing food enterprises in one location, Kitchens for Good hopes to create what CEO Jennifer Gilmore has described as "Southern California's most robust workforce and food business accelerator."
More than simply a new headquarters, the Culinary Impact Center represents an ambitious investment in San Diego's future food economy - one designed to create careers, launch businesses, combat food insecurity, and provide second chances through the power of cooking.
For more information about Kitchens for Good or to make a donation to the organization, visit kitchensforgood.org.
Originally published on July 13, 2026.