Landmark Golden Hill eatery that single handedly reshaped its neighborhood and countless lives, struggling with major equipment failure. Call for the community to come to its aid.
The Big Kitchen Cafe, 3003 Grape Street, Golden Hill, may soon see the end of the long life if the community doesn’t come to its aid. After 46 years of operation by Judy (The Beauty on Duty) Forman, the cafe faces serious expenses from catastrophic equipment failure that threatens the survival of the storied eatery. Like many small cafes, The Big Kitchen recovered only slowly from the effects on Covid; business has been down; so have profits. Malfunctioning refrigerators costing vast sums for repair and much more for replacement, along with unexpected medical emergencies and the ever rising cost of food may spell the end if a go fund me campaign launched by employees fails to raise enough to keep the doors open.
Many restaurants come and go; none are anything like the Big Kitchen. When Judy bought the 1920’s-vintage diner, Golden Hill was a dangerous neighborhood where gangs roamed and businesses failed. A city dump in Florida Canyon filled the air with fumes. The Big Kitchen soon became the focal point for locals and their friends, some of whose food preferences became staples on the menu. More importantly, those residents, finding some social cohesion over omelettes and pancakes, began the long, slow process to restore and redevelop their own neighborhood, and often their lives, from the ground up. The long lines for breakfast on weekends and steady throb of clientele daily was noticed by others who opened businesses in the area; nearby apartments rented to people who liked the vibe and those charmed by the late 19th and early 20th century houses began to snap them up. People made friends there; many of them got a start or a second chance there, including the young mother who became Whoopi Goldberg. Bands formed there and one act plays have been put on behind the counter. The human-scale and hands-on activities led, performed, sponsored by and encouraged by Judy Forman and her cafe are numberless and important to countless lives. All of this was overseen and nurtured by Judy Forman as a vital part of the Big Kitchen’s existence.
In 1986, the San Diego Reader profiled Judy and her cafe as she organized peace marches, raised money for AIDS organizations, environmental groups and womens’ support groups and other people-centric organizations. San Diego recognized her and the Big Kitchen in 2009 naming June 29 as Judy the Beauty Forman Day–recognizing her contributions to Golden Hill and the city. Far from being a simple diner, the Big Kitchen has been a neighborhood stage for people and causes for 45 years—the cross between a clubhouse, theatre, museum and a Rockwell painting, even National Geographic was drawn to the place in a 2003 profile of South Park, recognizing its importance to the growth of the area.
For now, The Big Kitchen remains one of those increasingly rare places where the story of the restaurant is really the story of the people who have passed through it. Judy Forman spent nearly half a century turning breakfast into an excuse to build community there. And now, after decades of feeding San Diego, the unique little South Park café gem s asking whether San Diego is willing to help feed it back.
The Big Kitchen Café is located at 3003 Grape Street in San Diego’s South Park neighborhood. Those wishing to support the restaurant can donate to the Help Judy Keep The Big Kitchen’s Magic Alive campaign on GoFundMe, share the fundraiser or visit the café while it remains operating. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-judy-keep-the-big-kitchens-magic-alive?attribution_id=sl%3A4d32c06a-9ab8-41b5-acec-32f252230491&ts=1788677223&video_sharing=enabled