Program Facilitator - Community Cooks

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

Reports To: Program Manager - Community Cooks

Supervises: YTOP Interns

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Workshops - Preparation

• Work alongside manager to write, edit, and produce recipes for all workshops

• Shop for food and program supplies in local retail food stores, placing food orders with food suppliers when necessary

• Ensure that only fresh ingredients are purchased, checking all produce closely before buying

• Ensure all food items are properly bagged and stored following food safety guidelines

• Work closely with Urban Agriculture program team to secure AFC produce for workshops

• Lead Youth Training and Opportunity Program training for workshop readiness

• Recruit individuals and groups of participants by creating flyers and other communications for events, postings on social media

• Create printed materials and handouts for workshops events

Workshops - Implementation

• Work alongside the program manager to lead in the delivery of quality workshops that meet the goals of AFC and any contracted partners

• Introduce the workshop process and review the recipes and plans for the program

• Familiarize the participants with the kitchen, tools, foods and other items needed for cooking

• Lead in cooking recipes, making sure that all cooking stations are set up

• Finish cooking dishes through the workshop process, ensuring food safety precautions are followed

• Engage with participants throughout the event, ensuring that they have great experiences

• Help maintain work stations throughout the event by picking up and removing items that are not being used and keeping a safe work area at all times

• Follow up with participants, asking if they have questions and conducting concluding surveys

• Finish the actual cooking itself thru workshop process, ensure food safety precautions are followed

• Ensure the space is properly cleaned and all workshop supplies are put away neatly

Meal Boxes - Planning

• Work alongside manager to write, edit, and produce recipes to match weekly meal box contents

• Collaborate with sourcing partners to place orders for both food and supplies for each week’s boxes, including proteins, produce, and pantry staples

• Secure ingredients and supplies ahead of packing, delivering to storage and packing sites directly

• Coordinate program logistics with partners for supply deliveries, storage, etc.

• Communicate with program participants regarding events and changes - upcoming deliveries, schedule changes, etc.

• Communicate with box delivery partners to ensure smooth process ahead of packing

• Create and edit weekly flyers outlining box contents and recommended recipes, ensuring quality experience for program participants

Meal Boxes - Implementation

• Lead in weekly meal box packing, ensuring all boxes are packed to program standards, working closely with on-site teams to ensure quality

• Lead youth interns and volunteers in packing, training on food safety standards and process as needed while providing a quality experience

• Find suitable replacements for ingredients as needed, ideally ensuring consistency between boxes

• Oversee meal box delivery process, coordinating with box delivery partners to ensure access

• Assist delivery drivers with loading meal boxes and ensuring boxes are going to correct participants

• Field communications from program participants regarding box deliveries and questions

Community Cooks Programs, General

• Maintain inventory, storage, and organization of program supplies, ingredients, etc.

• Transport youth interns to meal box packing site using AFC vehicles as needed

• Create digital flyers and other marketing communication utilizing email and social media to initiate public awareness of our services

• Build relationships with prospective and current participants and community organizations who may benefit from Community Cooks programs

• Attend and staff AFC and Community Cooks tables at various community events and fundraisers, presenting the benefits of the program to the community

SECONDARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Other duties as assigned by management and as needed to support the effective implementation of programs

• Work closely with other program staff to ensure successful delivery of quality programming across the organization

JOB SPECIFICATIONS

Desired Education and Experience

• High school diploma or equivalent preferred

• Experience working in a kitchen with groups of people and cooking large batches of food

• Basic computer skills (Google Workspace)

• Valid driver’s license, clean driving record, and insurable

• Servsafe certification preferred

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills to interact with team, communicate, and work with a diverse variety of people and personalities in and out of the organization

• Effective public speaking to lead workshops

• Friendly, out-going demeanor and able to build and maintain professional relationships

• Must be self-motivated and able to work unsupervised; Organized and detail-oriented

• Highly flexible, being able to balance multiple projects and priorities simultaneously 

• Effective time management skills in order to meet all deadlines

• Willingness to learn new things and solve problems creatively and independently

• Able to follow kitchen and other safety protocol properly and closely

• Strong passion for the work of Appetite For Change, serving the community, healthy/whole foods, and community engagement

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS NECESSARY TO PERFORM THIS JOB

Incumbent must be able to:

• Hear and speak in order to communicate with people inside and outside the office

• Sit at a desk for extended periods of time and perform long hours of work sitting at a computer (2-4 hours)

• Stand, walk and move for extended periods of time around kitchens, office buildings, and off-site community locations (6-8 hours)

• Apply manual dexterity, visual acuity, and ability for ingredient prep and cooking, using kitchen tools and equipment, computer keyboarding

• Perform physical activities to include: standing, walking, bending, twisting, kneeling

• Frequently lift and carry up to 50 lbs.

• Possess a current driver’s license, reliable transportation, good driving record, and valid insurance to travel around the Twin Cities

• Independently travel between multiple sites across the community, including periodically driving AFC vehicles to transport youth interns

• Work in-person or remotely during the day and evenings and be flexible in scheduling as the program requires

• Work occasional weekends to attend and/or facilitate AFC events and workshops

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT USED

Incumbent must be able to use:

• Kitchen tools and equipment such as: stove, oven, deep fryer, pots, pans, skillets, knives, cutting boards, thermometer, cooking utensils, food slicer, mixer, food processor and blender

• Office equipment such as: Laptop, printer, scanner, etc.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• The work environment is primarily indoors but may include exposure to the outdoors and inclement weather when traveling to and from different worksites, meetings and events

• The work environment is frequently a kitchen/cooking environment, including high temperatures (ovens, fryers), cold temperatures (freezers, refrigerators), smoke, odors, garbage, cleaning chemicals, and other typical conditions.

PAY RATE:

$18 - $21 Per hour - DOQ

BENEFITS:

Health Insurance 

Dental Insurance 

Retirement (401k)

Paid Time Off (PTO)

Paid Holidays

Short Term Disability (STD) Insurance 

Vision Insurance

Life Insurance

Long Term Disability (LTD) Insurance

TO APPLY:

Send resume and cover letter to jobs@afcmn.org