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SERVING BETTER FUTURES
TO UNDERSERVED YOUTH

Innovative Non-Profit Culinary Outreach
for San Diego County Youth

OUr Mission

Changing Lives One Plate at a Time

Chef Angels is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our mission is to uplift, educate, and inspire underserved youth in our communities, be they foster, at-risk, or homeless. We offer hands-on cooking classes and demos by chefs and culinary industry professionals.  Our goal is to inspire the next generation to follow in our culinary footsteps by teaching healthy cooking. 

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Years of Service

HOW WE SERVE SAN DIEGO COUNTY

Our Ingredients for Success

Inspiring Youth

We feed, teach, and motivate those who wouldn't otherwise have access to enriching and educational opportunities.

Promoting Healthy Choices

We give youth the skills and resources to continue making positive choices in their lives.

Providing Opportunities

We provide future opportunities for careers in the culinary and education field with our network of San Diego businesses and organizations.

Join Our Mission

Be an Angel and Help Support Our Youth

We greatly appreciate donations, as they allow us to continue making a positive change in the lives of San Diego’s Youth.

WHY CHOOSE CHEF ANGELS

Improving Lives In & Out of the Kitchen

Our Chef Angels instructors have been recruited from within the large pool, yet tight-knit, San Diego chef community. Those who have participated in our programs have found us through our existing network of chefs, sponsors and collaborators. Many are inspired to join due to the often similar shared lived experiences to our students, which makes the program experience all that more powerful to all involved. Many of the instructors themselves have found success in their careers and are now seeking opportunities to give back to the community and support the next generation. As a busy, professional chef all that is required is an easy lesson plan and groceries, we take care of the rest; location, equipment, expense reimbursements, catering supplies, invitations, social media…

At Chef Angels, we not only embrace diversity and inclusivity, it very much forms the foundation of our work – reflected in our roster of volunteer chef instructors and leaders, as much as in our San Diego community of chefs. Please reach out to us if you would like to participate or learn more about our program.

Improving Lives In & Out of the Kitchen

Why Choose Chef Angels

In collaboration with local non-profit organizations, we provide hands-on culinary classes for underserved youth.

01

Customized Cooking Classes

We identify organizations that would be a good fit for Chef Angels, we create custom culinary programs unique to each organization’s needs.

02

Future Growth & Employment Opportunities

We engage with local culinary businesses to learn about job opportunities and education enrollments.

Our Story

Established in 2022, we embarked on a mission to provide hands-on cooking classes to underserved youth throughout San Diego County. What started as a seed of an idea has begun to sprout roots with agencies serving foster, homeless, and at-risk youth.

By partnering with generous sponsors and local businesses, we are able to bring our love of teaching, cooking and community to those who need it most.

testimonials

We Couldn't Do it Without Our Community

"Varsity Team was lucky enough to be one of the first programs to work with Chef Angels. These wonderful chefs, lead by Lena, truly were angels that took the time to get to know our youth, encouraged their interests in food, had patience and understanding for their unique challenges, and taught them how to make amazing food in the process. We can't thank Chef Angels enough for everything that they did for our program!"
Drew D.
Varsity Team, Inc. CFO/COO
“Chef Angels has been an amazing addition to our roster, having the professional chefs come in and teach the kids. It’s amazing to see these people at work and to see the kids get so involved. It is really nice seeing some of these kids open up and understand that there are more opportunities for them than they once thought. A lot of the time these kids think culinary is out of their reach but it’s right there in their grasp.”
Brody M.
Case Manager at Youth Assistance Coalition
Chef Angels has truly been a transformative force for the youth in our Guardian Scholars program mentoring groups. From the very beginning, Chef Angels demonstrated a deep commitment to uplifting and inspiring our young people. Their Intro classes are not just cooking lessons; they are opportunities for growth, education, and empowerment...
Mentor Manager at Promises2Kids
Chef Angels is beyond just cooking, it’s giving back to a community of young adults and young kids. A lot of these kids just got dealt the wrong hand in the game of life. Some of them are struggling, but a lot of them are grasping everything that you are trying to teach them, whether it’s cooking, or skills building, job opportunities come up, and they’re just looking for mentorship. Giving back to them is very important. Hopefully, we can help guide them on that road to make their lives just a little bit better.
Tommy G.
Host of TV show “The Fishmonger”
To me Chef Angels is a great opportunity to learn new skills in the kitchen, to try new recipes I might not have had before, to learn new tips. A lot of good chefs come in, and they give their stories, and it’s inspiring. I appreciate the program.
Samaya
Chef Angels Student at Youth Assistance Coalition
As a youth Chef Angels is more than meets the eyes. You aren’t just cooking and learning to cook, you are bonding and learning more than culinary skills. I’ve met some great chefs and learned some great things. Chef Angels is an opportunity you should not pass up.
Angel S.
Chef Angels student at Varsity Team, Inc.
Chef's Angels has allowed me the opportunity to help foster youth in my community. As a former youth in similar situations myself, it is rewarding to be able to be a part of something positive for the current youth. Lena is so accommodating and informative about each opportunity and I love being a part of the cause.
Chef Jillian
Owner/chef of Jillian Fae Chef Services
"I never experienced a class that was so welcoming and so confidence building, while still giving you the understanding and the importance of valuable and quality food. Lena showed me that everyone deserves a quality meal, it doesn't matter your background. I’ve attended every class that she has held since she began with Promises2Kids and I plan to not only continue to attend, but also to bring others along with me. Thank you again Lena for the experience. I look forward to more classes. "
Marquita S.
Chef Angels Student at Promises2Kids
"Varsity Team was lucky enough to be one of the first programs to work with Chef Angels. These wonderful chefs, lead by Lena, truly were angels that took the time to get to know our youth, encouraged their interests in food, had patience and understanding for their unique challenges, and taught them how to make amazing food in the process. We can't thank Chef Angels enough for everything that they did for our program!"
Drew D.
Varsity Team, Inc. CFO/COO
“Chef Angels has been an amazing addition to our roster, having the professional chefs come in and teach the kids. It’s amazing to see these people at work and to see the kids get so involved. It is really nice seeing some of these kids open up and understand that there are more opportunities for them than they once thought. A lot of the time these kids think culinary is out of their reach but it’s right there in their grasp.”
Brody M.
Case Manager at Youth Assistance Coalition
Chef Angels has truly been a transformative force for the youth in our Guardian Scholars program mentoring groups. From the very beginning, Chef Angels demonstrated a deep commitment to uplifting and inspiring our young people. Their Intro classes are not just cooking lessons; they are opportunities for growth, education, and empowerment...
Mentor Manager at Promises2Kids
Chef Angels is beyond just cooking, it’s giving back to a community of young adults and young kids. A lot of these kids just got dealt the wrong hand in the game of life. Some of them are struggling, but a lot of them are grasping everything that you are trying to teach them, whether it’s cooking, or skills building, job opportunities come up, and they’re just looking for mentorship. Giving back to them is very important. Hopefully, we can help guide them on that road to make their lives just a little bit better.
Tommy G.
Host of TV show “The Fishmonger”
To me Chef Angels is a great opportunity to learn new skills in the kitchen, to try new recipes I might not have had before, to learn new tips. A lot of good chefs come in, and they give their stories, and it’s inspiring. I appreciate the program.
Samaya
Chef Angels Student at Youth Assistance Coalition
As a youth Chef Angels is more than meets the eyes. You aren’t just cooking and learning to cook, you are bonding and learning more than culinary skills. I’ve met some great chefs and learned some great things. Chef Angels is an opportunity you should not pass up.
Angel S.
Chef Angels student at Varsity Team, Inc.
Chef's Angels has allowed me the opportunity to help foster youth in my community. As a former youth in similar situations myself, it is rewarding to be able to be a part of something positive for the current youth. Lena is so accommodating and informative about each opportunity and I love being a part of the cause.
Chef Jillian
Owner/chef of Jillian Fae Chef Services
"I never experienced a class that was so welcoming and so confidence building, while still giving you the understanding and the importance of valuable and quality food. Lena showed me that everyone deserves a quality meal, it doesn't matter your background. I’ve attended every class that she has held since she began with Promises2Kids and I plan to not only continue to attend, but also to bring others along with me. Thank you again Lena for the experience. I look forward to more classes. "
Marquita S.
Chef Angels Student at Promises2Kids

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