Community kitchen · San Francisco
Free 10-week Salvation Army job training course for aspiring kitchen cooks
Serious cooks
Multi-week courses and boot camps
This is not a recreational cooking class. The Salvation Army runs the San Francisco Culinary Training Academy as a free, 10-week job training course at 832 Folsom Street in SoMa. It serves students in need and people ready to start a career in restaurant or commercial kitchens. Applicants must be 18 or older and apply in advance.
Chef Timothy Tucker leads the program. He trained at Sullivan University in Louisville and cooked on the line at restaurants in Dallas and Seattle. He first built this course at the Salvation Army Center of Hope in Louisville in 2005, then set up similar programs in Miami and Boston.
Classes run Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Students learn knife skills, food terminology, kitchen safety and recipes. They graduate with a ServSafe Food Handlers certificate. Life coaching, job placement help and housing support come through The Way Out program. The academy holds a 5 rating from 11 Google reviews.
Written from San Francisco Culinary Training Academy’s own site and class listings, October 2026. How we write these
Read from their own listings and checked weekly. Prices are per person.
We can’t read San Francisco Culinary Training Academy’s schedule automatically yet. See their classes on their own site.
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Nothing. The academy is free to students. Donors cover the average cost of $6,000 per student.
Adults 18 and older who are ready to commit to a new career in a restaurant or commercial kitchen. The course serves the San Francisco community and students in need.
The course runs 10 weeks, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sessions listed for 2026 to 2027 include January 4 to March 12 and March 22 to May 28.
Knife skills, food terminology, kitchen safety standards, recipes and effective work performance. Graduates leave with a ServSafe Food Handlers certificate.
Yes. The Way Out program offers life coaching, soft skills help and support finding housing and jobs, during and after the course, at no charge.
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