Description:
Hearty Meals for All serves a free, freshly prepared dinner every month in Davis Square for neighbors in need. We believe everyone deserves a dignified, delicious meal, and the chef who leads it is central to that.
We're looking for someone who wants to cook with purpose, not just skill.
Design and lead a dinner for 30 to 60 guests, one Friday a month. We source locally donated produce, meats, and dairy. You meet the delivery, select from what's available, build the menu around it, and run the kitchen.
What you'd do
- Meet the Food For Free delivery to select ingredients and plan your menu around them
- Run the kitchen on-site, with volunteer support for service and assembly
- Keep the kitchen compliant with health department standards
- Optional: build relationships with food vendors and suppliers to strengthen our ingredient sourcing
What you get
- $300 stipend per dinner
- Full menu control (we do have a few annual theme dinners such as March corned beef and July cookout)
- Volunteer support on-site for service and setup
- Executive Chef title and a real handoff: our longtime chef is stepping into a backup role and will mentor whoever comes next
Two ways to join
- Lead Chef: take most dinners throughout the year (second Fridays)
- Guest Chef rotation: commit to 3 to 4 dinners a year
Who we're looking for
- Experience cooking for groups (restaurant, catering, personal chef, instructor all welcome)
- ServSafe Manager certification (or willingness to get it, we can help)
- Comfortable directing volunteers and cooking for a diverse, community-centered guest list
- Available second Fridays, roughly midday through 5 PM and day before for prep
- Genuinely motivated by the mission
Happy to have you visit a dinner before committing!
Hearty Meals for All has served a free monthly community dinner in Davis Square since July 2008.