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Some people dream of making it in law, medicine, or maybe Hollywood. Not Kenny Hockert. He dreams of making it big in the three K’s: kugel, kreplach, and kasha.
A trained chef who spent many years working in New York restaurants, Kenny decided he wanted to fill a niche in the food truck business after moving to the Bay Area a few years ago. His specialty is Eastern European and Jewish “soul food’ reminiscent of his late grandmother Dora Rosenblatt’s family meals. “I have so many memories of spending time eating this food,” says Kenny, “and it has become a huge part of the contemporary fabric of cooking.”
As his idea took shape, Kenny reached out to JFCS to turn a potato into a knish. JFCS’ Small Business Loan Program provided him with low-interest funding to help get his business off the ground. The program also taught him how to develop his business plan and budget and monitor his progress. Today, his Old World Food Truck is hitting San Francisco’s streets, and he has begun a pop-up restaurant.
“JFCS is the first Jewish organization in the city I’ve had a relationship with,” says Kenny, “It means a lot to me that I have its support.” To thank the agency for its investment in him, Kenny already donated recently to the JFCS Fammy Gala silent auction, and he hopes to do more as his business grows.
Learn more about JFCS’ Small Business Loan Program.