Owner of Kor Kitchen Sophia Zekria spoons out borani kadoo, a classic Afghan dish featuring squash and spices.
Leila Touati
ltouati@thetribunenews.com
Sophia Zekria spends her time inside a commercial kitchen in San Luis Obispo, making dishes like borani banjan, a pan-fried eggplant dish with spiced tomatoes and a yogurt sauce, to give a taste of Afghanistan to those who have never tried it.
Zekria’s cooking turned into Kor Kitchen in March 2024, a catering and pop-up business that brings Afghan recipes and culture to SLO County. But Zekria and her family’s journey from Afghanistan to San Luis Obispo was anything but simple.
Originally from Kabul, Zekria loved cooking since she was 12 years old. When the Taliban took over the city in August 2021, Zekria and her family had to hide because her husband was a part of security and a translator in the U.S. Embassy.
They relocated first to a refugee camp in Abu Dhabi in 2021, and stayed there for eight months, then flew to Virginia and lived in a hotel for a month, she said. SLO for Home helped her family relocate to the Central Coast in 2022.
“I had no idea where I was going,” Zekria told The Tribune. “I didn’t know about San Luis Obispo. When I was in Afghanistan, I only knew about Los Angeles and San Francisco and that’s all. SLO for Home was waiting for me in the airport in the middle of the night. I call them my family now.”
Sophia Zekria, owner of Kor Kitchen in San Luis Obispo, started her business in March 2024 cooking classic Afghan dishes, seen here on Sept. 22, 2026. Leila Touati ltouati@thetribunenews.com
Food has always been an important part of Zekria’s culture and life but was very much needed when her home crumbled around her back in Kabul and she was thousands of miles away.
“I wanted to do something meaningful and also give back to the community while being the first Afghan family here,” she said. “Bringing Afghan food and culture, everything, I wanted to do something special.”
Zekria launched Kor Kitchen, with Kor meaning “home” in Pashto. Her cuisine carries a taste of her native country, and her menu is crafted from “memories” and traditional Afghan dishes that bring nostalgia for the chef.
“I started with the memories of Kabul that I had, and the hope of creating a better life here for my daughter and my family,” she said. “Every dish I prepare carries a part of Afghanistan. I chose the name because I wanted people to be welcomed into the Afghan home and experience the food, flavors and culture.”
Kor Kitchen serves borani banjan, a pan-fried eggplant dish, borani kadoo, a famous squash dish, and a traditional Afghan salad called salata. Zekria also pours doogh, a summer beverage made of yogurt, water, diced cucumber, mint and other herbs.
Kor Kitchen serves up traditional Afghan dishes from owner Sophia Zekria’s memories of living in Kabul, seen here on Sept. 22, 2026. Leila Touati ltouati@thetribunenews.com
Kor Kitchen is the first Afghan restaurant in SLO County, with Zekria’s family being the first Afghan family to relocate to San Luis Obispo. For Zekria, it was a challenge initially to share her cooking with a community that had never tried Afghan food before. Nevertheless, she persisted.
“It was not easy introducing my food to a community that nobody knew about,” she said. “Still, it made me strong and made me feel like what I’m doing is meaningful.”
Starting Kor Kitchen was not the only difficulty Zekria faced after moving to the Central Coast. After living a completely different life in Afghanistan, she learned to drive in San Luis Obispo and is now taking her daughter to soccer practice and ballet class.
“I did not choose an easy thing,” she said. “Now, when I see women in streets and coffee shops, that makes me so happy, always.”
Kor Kitchen serves traditional cuisine from Afghanistan, including Borani Kadoo, a dish featuring squash and a yogurt base, seen here on Sept. 22, 2026. Leila Touati ltouati@thetribunenews.com What’s next for Kor Kitchen and the owner behind it?
Zekria is anxiously searching for a permanent location for Kor Kitchen in San Luis Obispo to expand her business. She has been looking for nearly a year for an open brick-and-mortar space, with no luck yet.
“This is not the end. I want to do a lot for this place,” Zekria said. “Finding a restaurant here in SLO, that would be a dream because I want (Kor Kitchen) to become a place where they can experience the culture of home, food, the flavors. Hopefully, I find the place at the right time.”
For more information
Kor Kitchen operates at 4750 Allene Way in The Kitchen Terminal, where Zekria makes her Afghan dishes and individually packages them for sale at SLO Food Co-op, 2494 Victoria Ave., every Thursday. She also is available for catering requests. For more information about the business, visit its website at korkitchen.com.
This story was originally published September 26, 2026 at 12:00 PM.
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Leila Touati is a reporter for The Tribune. She covers business and change in SLO County communities. She is from the Bay Area and finishing her journalism degree at Cal Poly. In her free time, Leila enjoys coding and baking.
