Picture Courtesy of Hidden Kitchen

Today is the first day of Winter Break.

You are going out to breakfast.

In Cayucos.

NOW.

The Hidden Kitchen restaurants are located in Cayucos and Cambria, California. San Luis Obispo High School students and staff should find themselves visiting The Hidden Kitchen, which has all 100% organic food and gluten free.

Expressions reached out to Hidden Kitchen owner Amanecer Eizner to find out more about their secret. 

Expressions: How did you start Hidden Kitchen?

Hidden Kitchen Owner Amanecer Eizner: Hidden Kitchen started magically. My best friend and I were living together and had both begun to move away from our part time jobs to create our own businesses. She had a Ghee (clarified butter- it’s called Grateful Ghee) and I had left my restaurant job to start making clothing and jewelry! As she was looking for a commercial kitchen to make her ghee she stumbled into a little place on the back patio of an art gallery that was for rent. It wasn’t what she was looking for in terms of her business (not up to commercial kitchen code) but she remembered through conversation and experience living with me that I had always wanted to start a little cafe! I had simultaneously been experimenting at home with superfood smoothies and had just gotten back from a trip from Sayulita, Mexico where I had had my first blue corn waffle ever. I packed 15 pounds of blue corn masa into my suitcase and headed back to the US with a dream to make a Gluten Free version! I had finished that recipe right around the time the kitchen space became available for rent. Amira (my business partner and I) each brought our blenders from home, and a waffle maker plus the batter for waffles and started the weekend of the Scarecrow festival in Cambria!¨

Expressions: What is special about Hidden Kitchen?

Eizner: It took a little while but the Hidden Kitchen took off. I think the nature of the space being as hidden as it was, coupled with the uniqueness of the food lent itself to growing people’s curiosity. It was really fun to have people wander in and grab their attention and then be able to talk to them about the food and why we cared so much about it. We are the only people in california who offer a blue corn waffle, and we have expanded into hand pressed blue corn tortillas. Everything is made with so much love!

Expressions: Why should people come to Hidden Kitchen?

Eizner: People should come to the Hidden Kitchen for the love. We have so much love to offer our community, our family, friends and strangers who wander into either of our locations, and we do our very best to show it through the interactions we have, the service we provide, and the food we serve. The food is love – it’s such a special thing to be able to stand behind food that feels good!