Guest Chef + Presenter for Cooking Program

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HI USA is seeking a guest chef to lead the preparation of a cultural meal for our Cooking as a Second Language Program. Guest chefs will share their culture through food. They will select a recipe relevant to their culture and lead program participants though it’s preparation. In addition, guest chefs will lead discussion about their culture - its history, norms, and values.

Select a recipe and submit for approval

At least 2 weeks in advance of the program, the chef submits potential recipies to HI USA Staff for approval.

• The chef should be rather knowledgeable about the meal itself and the individual ingredients
• The recipe should be culturally authentic and significant, suggested meals include holiday meals or meals that are very common within the culture.
• The recipe should be conducive to group preparation, though if necessary the guest chef may need to do some pre-preparation prior to the event in the interest of time.

HI USA Staff will review, considering suitability to group preparation, amount of time to prepare, cost/availability of ingredients and preparation tools. Keep in mind, the recipe will need to be scaled for the number of expected participants.

Grocery Shopping with HI USA Staff (all costs are covered by HI USA)

Within 1 week of the program, the chef and the HI USA staff member go shopping for recipe ingredients.
In the event the chef must shop alone, the HI USA Staff will reimburse the chef on the day of class. The chef must present a receipt.

Train with HI USA Staff/ Learn the Space
At least one week before the program the guest chef will come to the hostel to meet with the HI USA Staff. The goal of this visit is to allow the chef to become familiar with the kitchen, go over the event procedures, and receive information about the goals and outcomes of the class. I n addition, the chef may want to bring some ingredients or cultural artifacts in advance of the event.

Lead the Program
On the day of the program the guest chef will arrive at least 90 minutes early to assist with the setup of food preparation area.

During the program the chef will participants in preparation of the selected recipes. As s/he leads the participants, s/he should also discuss the preparation techniques as well as their culture and customs.
In general, the guest chef does not prepare the food, but instead explains the ingredients and demonstrates the preparation techniques so everyone can cook together.

The benefits of volunteering with HI USA include:

• Meet new people from all over the world, including travelers, staff, and fellow volunteers
• Work to increase understanding and tolerance by helping people break down cultural barriers
• Help travelers to the community have a great travel experience
• Build skills in public speaking, foreign languages and intercultural communication
• Participate in fun appreciation events for local volunteers
• Receive personal and professional development opportunities
• Earn HI USA membership and dorm overnights at HI USA hostel