Today you can find La Cocina graduates running successful businesses all over the Bay Area — women just like you.
La Cocina will walk alongside you to make your food business dreams real. Our program provides you with affordable kitchen space, support in getting the right permits, opportunities to sell and grow your business, resources like graphic design, food photography, legal advice and business consulting to realize your dream.
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Attend Orientation
Come and learn how La Cocina works and the basics of what you will need to start a food business. This workshop is free and open to the public, but please register ahead of time. If you are planning to apply to the program, this event is required.
2024 San Francisco Orientations:
March 13 (La Cocina - 2948 Folsom St.) 6 PM - 8 PM
May 8 (La Cocina - 2948 Folsom St.) 6 PM - 8 PM
July 10 (La Cocina - 2948 Folsom St.) 6 PM - 8 PM
September 11 (La Cocina - 2948 Folsom St.) 6 PM - 8 PM
November 13 (La Cocina - 2948 Folsom St.) 6 PM - 8 PM
Schedule a One-on-One Meeting with an Expert
Sign up to take advantage of a free 1:1 consultation with experienced La Cocina staff members who can answer questions you might have about your food business idea, your business plan, or your application to La Cocina. This is an opportunity to get into some of the more specific business questions you may have. This is free to attend, but slots are limited so sign up early.
*Note: You can sign up for office hour slots in person during orientation, a registration link will be sent to confirm your attendance.
2024 San Francisco Office Hours:
January 24 (La Cocina - 2948 Folsom St.) 10 AM - 2 PM
March 21 (La Cocina - 2948 Folsom St.) 10 AM - 2 PM
May 16 (La Cocina - 2948 Folsom St.) 10 AM - 2 PM
July 18 (La Cocina - 2948 Folsom St.) 10 AM - 2 PM
September 19 (La Cocina - 2948 Folsom St.) 10 AM - 2PM
November 21 (La Cocina - 2948 Folsom St.) 10 AM - 2PM
Showcase at Our Drop-In Market
You will join other aspiring food entrepreneurs at the La Cocina kitchen and have space to sample your product, talk about your business, and connect with small business resources, future customers, and other entrepreneurs. La Cocina will pay you a small reimbursement for food cost to showcase at this event. This is optional but highly suggested for anyone who is interested in applying.
*NEW*
We are offering a new recruitment event called Drop in Market Office hours. It will be held the Friday after Drop in Market. This is designed for individuals who attended Drop in Market and want to deepen conversations started during the event. Like regular office hours, sign up will be in person during Drop-in- Market. There will be limited slots available and the office hours will be held at the Folsom St. commercial kitchen location in The Mission from 10 AM - 2 PM. See dates below.
Upcoming 2024 Drop-In Markets & Drop-In Market Office Hours:
Drop-in Markets
February 7 (La Cocina Municipal Marketplace - 101 Hyde St.) 6 PM - 8 PM
July 24 (La Cocina Municipal Marketplace - 101 Hyde St.) 6 PM - 8 PM
Drop-in Market Office Hours
February 9 (La Cocina - 2948 Folsom St.) 10 AM - 2PM
July 26 (La Cocina - 2948 Folsom St.) 10 AM - 2PM
Submit an Application
In order to apply to the program, you must submit the following:
an application
a completed business plan
your resume
two letters of recommendation for the program
proof of your current income
Application Types:
At La Cocina, we incubate two types of food businesses — prepared foods and packaged food businesses.
Prepared food businesses sell a product directly to the client that is ready to be eaten right away. Examples of prepared food businesses are: farmer's market vendors, food trucks, catering companies, cafes, restaurants, etc.
Packaged food businesses or consumer packaged goods companies (CPG) sell a product to a store or a distributor to sell that good to the end consumer. Essentially, a packaged food business is any business making a product placed in packaging and will ultimately sell at a grocery store. Examples of consumer packaged goods are: pickles, chips, crackers, salsas, etc.
Submission:
Applications can be delivered in-person to our 2948 Folsom Street location or sent as an electronic copy to apply@lacocinasf.org on the application date by 5 PM. Only complete applications will be considered.
2024 Application Review Workshops:
March 27 (La Cocina - 2948 Folsom St.) 4 PM - 6 PM
July 31 (La Cocina - 2948 Folsom St.) 4 PM - 6 PM
These workshops are designed to support you with the final steps of filling out your application to La Cocina. Participants should have a fully completed business plan before signing up. In addition, we ask that people only register to attend the application review workshop being hosted directly before the deadline for which you plan to submit an application. Please note that space for this workshop is limited, and only folks who meet La Cocina's low-income qualifications are eligible to attend.
Upcoming 2024 Application Deadlines:
April 1st - April 12th
August 5th - August 16th