Our Core Values

Our core values get us up in the morning, determine who we attract and who we hire, and inform all our programming decisions. In addition to our vision to create equity and belonging through the transformative and healing power of home cooking and our mission to empower our community with the confidence and creativity needed to buy, cook, and eat good food every day, our core values infuse everything we do. 

Food

Home cooking is transformative. We love good food and think that every person has a right to eat well. We value getting together. We believe that food is at the heart of building community and is so much more enjoyable when shared with others. Good food is more than just delicious – it nourishes our body and mind, improves our quality of life and the lives of the people who grow and produce it, and supports healthy ecosystems.

Heart

We are joyful sharers who believe in leading with generosity. We care for and serve each other and our wider community with love. The students and partners we work with energize and fulfill us. We are welcoming and kind. We are passionate about what we do, and we are committed to making a difference. We provide above-and-beyond service to our students, volunteers, teachers, partners, and coworkers.

Learning

We are all teachers and learners at 18 Reasons. We thrive on creativity and strive for constant improvement, both as an organization and within our programming. We seek new ideas and better ways to solve problems. We listen to our partners and to the community we serve. Our teaching is dynamic, informative, and passionate. We craft educational experiences that feed students’ creativity and allow them to personalize their food journey in order to find inspiration for a lifetime of cooking and eating.

Liberation

We are committed to the idea that we must move beyond equality and equity toward liberation (when every person will be able to fulfill their human potential). We have a positive vision of the future. We recognize that we will be the best organization we can be when we are working in solidarity with diverse groups of people from across our community. We recognize each other’s humanity. We are a feminist and anti-racist organization, and we strive to create the raddest place to work.

Moxie

We are problem-solvers, trailblazers, and pathfinders. We are self-starters with no time for complacency. We tackle problems with enthusiasm until they are solved. Our fearlessness, personal integrity, and sense of adventure drive our work to be the best it can be. We hold each other accountable and live by the motto "figure it out".