Chapter Guidelines for Kid’s Café

1.       It is the responsibility of the Volunteer Chefs to procure meal items to prepare their planned menu. Use your resources and the club to help. Chef and Child Chair Jeremiah T Lanes is available to help and can be reached at Jeremiah.lanes@gmail.com. Or you can reach out to Chef Dan at (952)-926-2600 ext. 2518 or at chefdan@perspectives-family.org 

2.       Please have your menu prepared 7-10 days before your event and available to present to Chef Dan and Jeremiah. This is to insure the kids are getting a nutritional meal by the federal guidelines he has to follow. Leave a message if he is not in and he will return your call as soon as possible. USDA guidelines can be found here https://fns-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/cacfp/CACFP_childmealpattern.pdf

3.       Keep all receipts as Chef Dan will give you an in-kind donation form to fill out. This is a necessary step, so Chef Dan and Kids Cafe can continue to get the funding they need to operate. It also helps keep the ACF informed of donations from Chefs and vendors alike for recognition. As a Guest Chef to Kids café you are helping a great cause while representing the ACFMCC and we fully support your decision to volunteer!

4.       You are preparing a meal for approximately 65-75 people, this is not only for the children within the program, but also volunteers as well. You will have children volunteers ages 5-13, please be prepared for that. They may not always be available, just communicate with Chef Dan to be aware. The kids are willing to learn, just be patient and aware of them within the kitchen. Prepare for anything and expect everything when it comes to children.

5.       Keep in mind it’s very important that you sit and share this meal you just prepared for the kids. It’s an important feature to add familiarity to them and helps you recognize why you do what you do. We are there to make connections and memories through food.

6.       Food is served at 5:30pm sharp. Please be plated and ready for service at that time. Dependent on your menu, volunteers and space are available for you. Recommended time to plate is 5-5:15pm to be completed by 5:30pm ready to serve blanket service to the children. They only have 20 minutes to eat, so time is critical. Please be aware of these time lines.

7.       Ethnic, Holiday, even themed meals are welcome but not necessary. It’s up to you, the Guest Chef, to decide what you’d like to prepare.

8.       Allergy restrictions will be expressed through Chef Dan and or Jeremiah for the few students that have them. Keep in mind this is a diverse group of individuals and they will also have religious, ethnic and personal choices for food. Chef Dan will have more direct information. This is why you should have a menu ready at the minimum of a week in advance.

If for any reason you are unable to attend the scheduled day that you chose to volunteer for please contact Jeremiah, immediately either by phone (952)-258-3054, or if you must, email also works Jeremiah.lanes@gmail.com.

I will do my best to find a replacement but PLEASE DO NOT wait until the day prior to your scheduled date you signed up for. I am very understanding and know that in our work things come up professionally and personally that cannot be avoided. We can still make this happen for the kids and represent the club.

Thank you all for your continued support of Kids Cafe!

Kids Cafe is located at:

3381 Gorham Ave

CRITERIA

We aim for the 3^rd Monday of each Month, between the school schedule and any programming conflicts, the ACF adjusts with the program directors. Please make sure that you are available for the date that you sign up for.

If you’d like to volunteer outside of the dates that the American Culinary Federation Minneapolis Chef’s Chapter is scheduled to be there, please do so. You can contact the Chef and Child Chair representative Jeremiah Lanes at Jeremiah.lanes@gmail.com. If you’d like a more direct contact, you are welcome to contact Chef Dan or Kaylie Burns Gahagan the Volunteer Coordinator at Perspectives. You can reach her via phone (952)-926-2600 ext. 2516 or by email kburnsgahagan@perspectives-family.org.

Schedule