18 Reasons is a non-profit on a mission to empower our community with the confidence and creativity to buy, cook, and eat good food every day.
Our Core Values
Our core values guide everything we do—from who we hire to how we design our programs. Alongside our mission, and our vision to create equity and belonging through home cooking, these values shape our daily decisions and long-term impact.
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Food
Home cooking is transformative. We love good food and think that every person has a right to eat well. 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. 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 honor every person’s humanity, and create spaces that are safe, inclusive, and culturally affirming. We challenge racism in our policies, practices, and culture, and understand anti-racism as ongoing work. We value all genders, and challenge patriarchy in how we lead and work together. We have a positive vision of the future.
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 "we’ll figure it out.”
Our Story
Cooking Our Way to Connection, Confidence, and Community
18 Reasons began with a simple belief: food has the power to bring people together. In 2008, nestled in a cozy space on Guerrero Street, Bi-Rite Market created the first official 18 Reasons tasting classes and community dinners that connected neighbors with local farmers and artisans through good food and conversation. These evenings sparked something greater. As more people gathered, our work grew beyond the table.
In 2011, the nonprofit Three Squares was founded with the same core idea: offering free Cooking Matters classes to help low-income families gain skills and confidence in the kitchen while sharing food and learning from each other. In 2013, the organizations merged and became the 18 Reasons that exists today - uniting under a shared mission to empower people with the confidence and creativity to buy, cook, and eat good food every day. Bringing people together to cook, learn, and share is still at the heart of all our programs.
Today, 18 Reasons is a vibrant nonprofit with two core branches:
- Our teaching kitchen in San Francisco’s Mission District offers hands-on cooking classes, cultural tastings, and private events—welcoming thousands of home cooks each year and helping to raise funds for our free programming.
- Our free community programs—Food as Medicine, Nourishing Pregnancy, and Cooking Matters—bring culturally relevant cooking and nutrition education to over 3,500 adults, teens, and children annually across the Bay Area.
We believe home cooking is a radical act of care. Whether it’s helping an individual improve their health, giving a teen the tools to prepare their own meals for the first time, or helping a pregnant parent feel supported and nourished at home, we care for our community with heart, joy, and delicious food.
18 Reasons is now a thriving nonprofit governed by a Board of Directors. We maintain strong ties with Bi-Rite Market, our neighbors in the Mission. We continue to grow our impact across San Francisco, Alameda, and Contra Costa counties.
Why 18 Reasons?
If you’ve been in the Mission long enough, you might remember the sign that once loomed above 17th and Mission, reading simply: “17 Reasons Why.”
It was a neighborhood landmark until 2002. When we opened our first space just around the corner, we chose to honor that neighborhood history—and add one more reason of our own. Today, on 18th Street, we carry that spirit of community and connection forward, while believing that we all have our own reasons to step into the kitchen.
Learn more about 18 Reasons and our impact here:
Our Community
We truly couldn’t do what we do without our incredible staff, volunteers, and community. From chefs and educators to AmeriCorps members and volunteers, every person on our team plays a vital role in making good food accessible to all. Meet the people behind the programs.