Green Oceanside Kitchen

The Green Oceanside Kitchen (GOK)

The Green Oceanside Kitchen is a state-of-the-art food recovery and preservation facility designed to foster a sustainable food system and offer culinary learning opportunities dedicated to wasting nothing and feeding our community. As one of the most comprehensive facilities of its kind, the Green Oceanside Kitchen incorporates sustainability in every way our community enjoys food, from production and distribution to consumption and recycling. To operate the facility, the City of Oceanside formed a public-private partnership with the One Kitchen Collaborative (OKC), formerly known as O’side Kitchen Collaborative. Supporting Oceanside's commitment to zero waste, responsible resourcing, and climate action, the goal of the Green Oceanside Kitchen is to divert edible food from the landfill and support feeding our community.

The Green Oceanside Kitchen is committed to providing resources and support to the community, whether through in person classes or virtual workshops. Digital resources are available for residents and the Oceanside community so that no matter where you are, you can live and cook zero waste.

Click on the links below for resources and tutorials on food storage, decoding expiration dates, food scrap management, and vermicomposting. Visit the Green Oceanside Events Page to register for future workshops and events!

Zero Waste "Sunday Brunch in a Crunch" Workshop with OKC

Check out our Brunch in a Crunch Recipes!

“Waste Less, Enjoy More: Easy tips for reducing food waste at home” Workshop with San Diego Food System Alliance.

Check out the promo and vegetable stock recipe card shared during the workshop in English and en Espanol!  

Food Storage Tips

Have you gone to the grocery store and want to make sure your produce lasts? See an easy guide in English and en Espanol, and watch the video above for food storage tips.

Deciphering Food Labels

Navigating the world of “best-by” and “expiration by” dates can be tricky and lead to unnecessary food waste. Keep these tips in English and en Espanol in mind before you toss out that “expired” yogurt!

Zero Wasted Food at Your Business

The Green Oceanside Kitchen accepts excess edible food from businesses throughout Oceanside. If you have excess edible food you would like to donate, please email GreenOceanside@oceansideca.org. For information on the State’s edible food donation requirements for businesses, visit the Edible Food Recovery Program Page.

The Food Problem

When food is wasted, so is the water, energy, and labor used to grow it. 18% of the material that makes up California landfills is good, edible food. One pound of food in landfills creates the same emissions as 20% of the energy used in an average household daily. 40% of the food grown in the United States is wasted. An estimated 1 in 7 people in San Diego County do not know where their next meal is coming from. The average American household wastes $1,500 worth of food annually.

Our Solution

As part of the City's sustainability and zero waste efforts, the City funded the development of the Green Oceanside Kitchen, a state-of-the-art commercial food processing facility and demonstration kitchen. It is uniquely designed for programming, services, and operations focused on food recovery, culinary arts, job development, and a sustainable local food system.

Kitchen Facts

The Green Oceanside Kitchen has more than 1,700 sq. ft. of commercial food processing and training space, which includes two cook lines, significant dry storage, freezer space, interactive AV equipment for training, specialized equipment for food recovery and preservation, a wash ware room and more.

The following equipment pieces were uniquely selected to support rescuing edible food that would have otherwise gone to waste:

	Cooler – The specially-designed external cooler unit is more than 500 square feet and is one of the most important kitchen features to support greater food recovery capacity. The unit was designed to receive, sort and process significant amounts of food/produce. The cooler can hold a semi-truck load of food. Tilt Skillet – Used to make large batches of jams and sauces when ripe fruit and vegetables received.
Dehydrator – Dehydrating prolongs the life of fruit and vegetables. Smoker – Used to preserve fish and meats. Juicer – Utilizes the entire fruit or vegetable for its zest and juice. Movable Tables – The kitchen is equipped with tables and equipment on wheels to efficiently use operational space for food processing and triage, catering preparation and culinary arts training.
	Food Sealer/Saver – Vacuum seals food smoked, cured, dehydrated, freeze dried, cooked and/or preserved to keep on shelves or in the freezer instead of in the landfill.
The Green Oceanside Kitchen also includes a demonstration kitchen modeled after a residential kitchen, where the City's Green Oceanside program, in partnership with the One Kitchen Collaborative, will provide culinary cooking classes on sustainability and zero waste. The demonstration kitchen includes interactive AV equipment to make possible a greater community experience with classes in person and at home online.

Get Involved

There are many ways to help create a sustainable food system and be better stewards of the earth:

1. Send an email to GreenOceanside@oceansideca.org if you are interested in donating produce or edible food to the Green Oceanside Kitchen
2. Support sustainability-focused contractors such as the City's kitchen and catering partner, OKC, for your next catered event. Visit www.theokc.org, email info@theokc.org, or call (760) 707-8108 to learn more about OKC's catering, cooking classes/workshops, as well as food donation and job development opportunities.
3. Sign up to receive Green Oceanside updates and stay up-to-date on events, workshops, and programs.

One Kitchen Collaborative (OKC)

In partnership with the City's Green Oceanside initiative, One Kitchen Collaborative operates the kitchen, recovers agricultural surplus from local farms, growers and gleaning organizations, and transform this produce into delicious cuisine and preserved products. One Kitchen Collaborative offers a "Conscious Catering" program and provides meals and products to local feeding programs to assist food insecure residents. Community workshops and cooking classes will be offered at the facility to raise awareness about these issues and educate participants on solutions to food waste.