Community Chefs Needed for Mardi Gras Education Program

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Specific to Mardi Gras, Cajun, and/or Creole!

Do you enjoy cooking specific to your culture? Do you enjoy sharing stories with others? Are you looking to share food you love with a group of people? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are a great candidate to be a guest community chef for Hostelling International Chicago's Cooking as a Second Language program.

Cooking as a Second Language seeks to create a space where community members not only work together to create a traditional dish/meal, but also share stories about why food is important to them in their own unique culture.

The guest chef is usually a member of the local community. The general role of the chef is lead the preparation of the food that relates to their personal heritage. During the program, they should also discuss their culture and customs. Chefs are selected based on their availability, interest in sharing their culture’s food and customs program participants, and their communication and leadership skills.

The guest chef does not have to speak English Fluently. However, s/he should be:

• Knowledgeable of their culture,
• Knowledgeable of their recipe and enjoy cooking.
• Engaging, outgoing, charismatic, and excited about the opportunity
• An added benefit if the chef has community connections as well.

It’s best to seek chefs who are capable of leading without much direction as the Chef has the most knowledge of the food being prepared. The HI USA Staff and Volunteer are assisting the chef in that regard.