SFSU alumna named head chef of beloved SF restaurant

Food has always been a central part of alumna Brenda Landa’s world. Her parents emigrated from Mexico and brought their culture with them to Redwood City. As a child, she spent her evenings helping her mom cook Mexican staples for their family of six. 

“I have fond memories of making tortillas with her. I think it was her way to give me a piece of dough to be like, ‘Here, go play over there,’” she said. Together, they made rellenos, pozole and other traditional Mexican dishes. She developed a love of cooking that stayed with her into adulthood — and paved the way for her to become a rising star in San Francisco’s culinary scene. 

Last year, Landa was named the head chef of Outerlands, a beloved restaurant in San Francisco’s Outer Sunset neighborhood known for its brunches and fresh sourdough bread. The roots of her journey began in her family’s kitchen and first flowered as a college student at SFSU.

When it came time to choosing a major, she was torn. She hoped to become a business owner, but earning a degree in Business Administration didn’t feel like the right fit, she says. After meeting with a counselor, they agreed that a degree in Hospitality, Tourism and Event Management was a better match.

“I had a lot of fun taking courses,” she said. She took courses in California culture, wine and even cooking. One of the most memorable parts of her SFSU experience was studying abroad in Vienna, Austria. She went from being a first-generation Mexican American who had never traveled before to studying at a Viennese school for hospitality. “Talk about culture shock,” she said. 

In her junior year at SFSU , she started working in restaurants to earn money. She started out as a hostess and eventually told one of the chefs she wanted to work in the kitchen. During her senior year, that chef gave her a life-changing opportunity as a prep cook. “I realized this is such a great opportunity and such a great path for me to take,” she said. 

She worked in restaurants across the city such as Nopa and Cotogna. Around that same time, she wrote in her journal, “I want to be a sous chef by the time I’m 25.” That didn’t happen, but she did discover other non-traditional roles in the culinary world that helped her grow as a chef. She became a private chef, taught cooking at a culinary school and moved to Italy for an internship at famed chef Alice Waters’ Rome Sustainable Food Project, where she learned about sustainability and cooking with the seasons.  

All of those varied experiences melded into her culinary identity, which she distilled as a belief in sustainable practices, seasonality, supporting local farmers and infusing dishes with her Mexican heritage. In 2023, she poured her cooking philosophy into a new venture — her own pop-up restaurant. Good Bird launched at 20 Spot, a Mission District wine bar. It took off from there and found a monthly home at Outerlands, where she cultivated a following. 

Last year, she was named head chef of Outerlands. “This is such an institution, it’s important as a chef to understand the cuisine that you’re stepping into,” she said. Her approach is to see how she can add to the already successful menu. “It’s been awesome to develop recipes and have people enjoy them here,” she said. 

Down the road, Landa hopes to add more of the Mexican dishes from her childhood to San Francisco’s culinary landscape — and to, one day, serve them in her own brick-and-mortar restaurant.

Explore the Hospitality, Tourism and Event Management Department within the Lam Family College of Business.