When Binita Pradhan first launched Bini’s Kitchen back in 2012, she never would have imagined the journey her restaurant would take her on.
A graduate of the La Cocina Incubator Program, the San Francisco based non-profit that empowers women entrepreneurs to run and own their own restaurants, Binita has spent years perfecting her curries and specialty momos, a kind of Nepalese dumpling that features spiced turkey, lamb, or vegetables wrapped in a thin-yet-chewy flour wrap.
Binita first began her kitchen in 2012, after graduating from La Cocina’s Incubator Program, slowly building up a loyal following through food trucks and pop-up appearances before establishing a kiosk at 1 Post Street in 2015. It wasn’t until 2019 though that she was able to secure a permeant brick-and-mortar location at 1001 Howard Street. Now, only two years later and she’s ready for her next expansion.
Where she once was the student, Binita has now become the master. Binita will be returning to her alma mater to run Bini’s Kitchen out of the new La Cocina Municipal Marketplace at 101 Hyde Street.
The long-awaited La Cocina expansion has been in development for years and recently opened up to the public a few months ago. Occupying the former location of United States Post Office building, the ambitious expansion has been a significant step forward for the incubator.
The new expansion allows the La Cocina team to continue their mission of incubating women-owned businesses while extending their outreach to provide food and critical resources to Tenderloin residents in need. Restaurateurs who partner with La Cocina, like Binita, also agree to cater to underserved communities and provide affordable options for food-insecure populations.
While Binita could not comment on when she plans to open her La Cocina location, she will be continuing to run her flagship store at 1001 Howard Street.
