Two years ago, KSBY introduced you to the Kitchen Terminal, a mixed-use commercial kitchen for specialty food businesses and restaurant startups. The now two-year-old space has opened doors for a wide range of cultural food.
From Korean and Afghani cooking to Ethiopian cuisine, the Kitchen Terminal is, and has been, home to restaurant startups representing cultures worldwide since its inception in 2022.
“It’s a new experience for us. It's a new challenge,” said Anna Kim, a San Luis Obispo resident since 2007, who manages Seoul Food, a Korean food startup at the Kitchen Terminal.
Kim and her in-laws, who are Korean immigrants, started their journey with the commissary earlier this year.
“All the years that my mother-in-law has been cooking here in the U.S. for her friends and family, they all suggested that she should start a food business,” said Kim.
But as the restaurant business goes:
“In terms of finances, that wasn't the reality,” said Kim.
That’s where the Kitchen Terminal entered the picture and brought the dream of opening Seoul Food into reach.
“It's great to have that flexibility being only open on the days that we want and utilizing other days for us to prep,” said Kim.
“Authentic Afghan food, the qabuli palow is always in the menu,” said Sophia Zekria, an immigrant of Afghanistan of just two years, who founded Kor Kitchen in early March, the only Afghani food establishment in San Luis Obispo and surrounding area.
Zekria’s passion is sharing her native country’s food.
“‘Starting a new life and follow your dream’ was an example of being in America and opportunities that were waiting for us,” said Zekria. “I don't want to miss any opportunity here.”
“Kor” in her native language of Pashto means “home,” which makes her restaurant’s name synonymous with how she feels.
“Because SLO is my home now. And I feel so grateful, very grateful that I'm here, and to give back to this country and this community that gave us so much,” said Zekria.
Sunita Singh co-owns the space that allows food entrepreneurs to chase their dreams in the culinary world, but they do more than just offer a clean, commercial kitchen: The company works with Cal Poly’s Small Business Development Center to offer its businesses support.
“We’ve had people come in, and they’re just lost. They don’t know what to do. We're here to help people grow their business,” said Singh. “The worst part about our business is if we help them properly, they outgrow us and leave, just like Ebony did.”
Ebony, an Ethiopian restaurant on Higuera St., started at the Kitchen Terminal and used their success to open their very own restaurant Downtown SLO.
“It was a wonderful place to be, it’s a brand-new kitchen, it’s clean, everybody that worked there was wonderful. It’s great for people who are doing farmers market, if you have another place to take (food), it’s an amazing place to cook,” said Feben Teffera, co-owner of Ebony. “For us, we wanted to build on what we had, so we knew this (Higuera St.) was the right place for us.”
Whether it’s just an idea or a lifelong dream, the Kitchen Terminal could be the place to give your culinary concept a chance.
The Kitchen Terminal is located near the airport in San Luis Obispo on the corner of Kendall Road and Allene Way.
Seoul Food is open Tuesdays and Fridays for lunch. Kor Kitchen is open Saturdays. Ebony is open Thursday-Sunday with ours varying between lunch and dinner.
For more information on the Kitchen Terminal, click here.
