18 Reasons

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, Sam 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 and as more people gathered, the work grew beyond the table. 

In 2011, the nonprofit Three Squares was founded by Sarah Nelson 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 the program. 

Today, 18 Reasons is a vibrant nonprofit with two core branches: 

The 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. 

The 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. 

Bi-Rite Market and 18 Reasons 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, an immense amount of care goes into the community with heart, joy, and delicious food. 

18 Reasons is now a thriving nonprofit governed by a Board of Directors and continues to maintain strong ties with Bi-Rite Market. Our neighbors in the Mission continue to grow their impact across San Francisco, Alameda, and Contra Costa counties.