Graduate Services

As a La Cocina graduate, you've already achieved incredible milestones—opening restaurants, securing national distribution, creating jobs, and making a real impact in your community. But we know the challenges don’t end there. Many of you still face the realities of a tough and competitive marketplace, especially for those of marginalized identities.

We’ve been by your side as you’ve navigated changing markets, new laws, and an evolving industry. Now, to better support you moving forward, we’re formalizing our graduate program. This means you’ll have access to monthly technical assistance, discounted professional services, and opportunities to connect with fellow graduates and industry mentors. Our goal is to continue providing the tools and resources you need to thrive beyond the incubator program.

What the program encompasses:

Work with trusted and knowledgeable La Cocina Business Development and Program staff for an hour tailored to your unique business needs. With the convenience of online booking, you can easily schedule these sessions to dive into topics of your choice. Additional consulting is available at an exceptional value— $75/hour—offering expert guidance at a fraction of the cost of typical industry consulting rates.
La Cocina holds strong relationships with local industry partners. We’ve identified some of the best consultants across different fields who can support you at a competitive rate. We will offer each graduate services member up to 12 hours annually of subsidized services and pro bono rates for services in financial planning, legal services, human resources, leadership development, public relations; architecture, interior design, kitchen design, food photography, marketing, and graphic design.
La Cocina will design educational field trips for graduate service members, challenging and expanding your views and knowledge of what’s possible within the industry. Trips can include national destinations, cultural tours, and meetups with local chef and maker communities – all in an effort to learn together and build long-term industry relationships.
Join a vibrant network of fellow graduate businesses with dedicated opportunities to connect, collaborate, and grow together. Our program offers more than just support—it creates a community. Engage in a digital chat to stay connected, attend thoughtfully planned events, share meals and cooking experiences, and participate in group discussions focused on solving real-world entrepreneurial challenges. This is a space to strengthen ties, share insights, and fuel each other’s success as you navigate the journey beyond incubation.
Informed by evolving graduate needs, engage in quarterly workshops to equip you with cutting-edge insights and practical tools for success. These sessions will tap into the expertise of graduate businesses, industry leaders, and local officials, offering both virtual and in-person learning opportunities. Topics will range from waste reduction and optimizing POS systems to understanding tipping culture and mastering whole animal butchery. Each workshop is crafted to help you stay ahead of market trends, enhance your operations, and continue thriving as part of this program.
By the time graduates finish their business development at La Cocina and move into a space of their own, we find they often lose track of some of the key resources they were provided in early pre-incubation curriculum. As a graduate service member, you will have access to a private online portal with a wide range of useful front and back-of-house tools, including onboarding and offboarding human resources documents; modifiable employee handbooks; prep and ordering lists; recipe costing tools; social media for beginners kit; easy to use break even and projection spreadsheets; etc.
By Request Only.
La Cocina will connect you to industry professionals who are willing to offer mentorship. You’ll be paired with an appropriate chef or food business owner who will provide them with monthly consulting either at the graduate restaurant or the mentor’s space. The experience can look different for everyone but may encompass the mentor offering feedback on a menu, advice on plating, helping refine the flow of service, P&L consultations, and support with ordering and procurement.