Brackens Kitchen

Community Feeding ProgramAt the heart of our work is a commitment to feed our friends and neighbors in need. In Orange County over 500,000 people struggle with food insecurity and the ability to put a meal on their tables. In LA County and Southern California as a whole that number is much, much higher. We come to work every day excited to do what we love most, cook tasty and nutritious meals for our friends and neighbors in need. From breakfast for our seniors right here in Garden Grove, to hot lunches for our struggling college students in Santa Ana to a complete hot dinner for families, seniors and veterans all across southern California we are honored to work in this space. We are able to do this not only by cooking meals but with our food truck and a network of community partners who help to get our meals into the hands of those who need it most. Looking forward our goal in 2024 is to provide more than 2.2 million meals to our friend and neighbors in need through our distribution network of over 45 community and agency partners.

Culinary Training ProgramNow in our 5th class of students our culinary training program has grown into a very important part of the work we do. Like the age old saying, give a man a fish and you've fed him for a day, teach him to fish and you will feed him for a lifetime. The perfect statement to describe our work in culinary training. While we recognize that not every student may become a famous Chef, every student will have the foundation for, not only a career in food service, but they'll have a better understanding and appreciation for how to cook and provide for their own families.

Rescued Food ProgramOur rescued food program powers all that we do here at the kitchen. In America today it is estimated that up to 40% of our food supply ends up in landfills having never been consumed by humans. Perfectly good food that was produced at enormous cost to you is left to rot in the dumpster. Food that if properly managed could have been used to feed our friends and neighbors in need. We leverage existing relationships and build new and exciting ones to ensure that high quality edible food comes to us and not the dumpster. Once rescued we're able to turn these food items into nutritious meals for our friends and neighbors in need. Ugly produce, meat and chicken that didn't sell and had to be frozen, overproduction of sauces, dressings and convenience items, off spec items and produce left in the field are just a few examples of the many areas in which we rescue food. Our goal in 2024 is to rescue more than 325 tons of food.