What's Cookin' San Diego is a competition to find San Diego's best amateur home cooks and provide them with a lifetime opportunity. The twenty winners get everything they need to launch a real, legal home food business, complete with a personalized online storefront and social marketing reach. For home cooks that already run a legal home food business, the competition will crown the best among them and help winners take their business to the next level.
Competition at a Glance
Unpermitted Cooks: Dreams Come True
Twenty winners will have costs covered to set up their new business: registration, county permit, food safety certification, an online storefront and a social marketing package.
Permitted Cooks: The Title, Best Home Cook 2026
One winner is crowned in each category: hot-food (MEHKO) and shelf-stable (Cottage Food). Each winner will take home the Title and a full social marketing package.
Entry is free for both categories, and your home kitchen must be located in San Diego County.
Whether you've been dreaming about selling your food or you've been selling it for years, this is San Diego's stage for home cooking.