Cooking and Hosting Project Leaders

About this role

About the role

As a volunteer Cooking Project Leader you’ll induct volunteers into the kitchen, facilitate the team, create recipe ideas, and lead on the preparation and cooking of the meal. You’ll be protecting the environment through the use of surplus ingredients donated by local businesses, and you’ll help to build a resilient and empowered community through the sharing of delicious food and conversation.
Responsibilities include:
• Running cooking sessions, leading a team of volunteers to create a three-course meal in a limited timeframe.
• Encouraging the whole team to have input into planning a tasty, healthy, and nutritionally balanced menu
• Inducting new volunteers into the kitchen.
• Working with your Project Leader team to ensure that all elements of the Project run smoothly, including maintaining a tidy and well stocked store cupboard.
• Ensuring that all volunteers follow the food safety procedures set out in our kitchen handbook.
• Completing the weekly checklist in the kitchen handbook, and the weekly session report via our website.

As a volunteer Hosting Project Leader you’ll act as the maître’ d of the team, running your Project’s front of house and helping to create a warm, friendly atmosphere that will make both volunteers and guests want to return each week. Your team of volunteers will lay the tables, greet guests, and serve the food – all under your guidance! You’ll be helping to build a resilient community through the sharing of delicious food and conversation, including reducing loneliness and contributing to improving the mental health and wellbeing of guests.
Responsibilities include:
• Running hosting sessions, leading a team of volunteers to serve a three-course meal in a limited timeframe.
• Encouraging the whole team to have input into creating a warm, friendly atmosphere for guests.
• Inducting new volunteers.
• Working with your Project Leader team to ensure that all elements of the Project run smoothly, including liaising with the Cooking Project Leader at each session to gather information, e.g. about food allergens.
• Ensuring that all volunteers are following the food safety procedures set out in our kitchen handbook.
• Completing the closing checklist in the kitchen handbook and the weekly session report via our website.

You don’t need to have any previous hosting or cooking experience – you just need to love food and motivating people! Our cook project leads start at 9:45 am and finish at 3pm, our host project leads start at 11:45am and finish at 3pm. We recommended project leading at least once a month.

About FoodCycle
Week in, week out we nourish the hungry and lonely in our communities with delicious meals and great conversation, using food which would otherwise go to waste.
FoodCycle aims to:
• Connect communities
• Support mental health and wellbeing
• Nourish the hungry
• Promote sustainability
• Inspire change

A FoodCycle Project is where the magic happens. Each Project is run on the ground by a team of lead volunteers called Project Leaders, who ensure the smooth running of their FoodCycle Project. Project Leaders are passionate, committed and want to make a positive change within their community. They take ownership and make decisions about the day-to-day running of their Project. Full training and support.

When you can volunteer

Requirements

• References needed
• Willing to take a DBS Check
• Age restrictions

We support you through our project leader training which includes a DBS check. You do have to be 18 years or older to volunteer with us.

Location

Location Wesley Hall Community Centre, Hartington Road, Leicester, UK