Central Market Cooking School’s Volunteer Program

While most people that shop at Central Market know that they have a cooking school program at most stores, not too many people know about their volunteer program. I first heard about it when I attended a class when I was still going to school at the University of Texas at Austin. A couple friends of mine got together and got me a gift of a free class for me and a guest. While I don’t remember too much from the class, I did remember that they have a volunteer program. But because I was trying to balance my life between school and work, I had very little time to even think about the program. It wasn’t until a few years down the road after I was working for a few years that I was looking for something to do with my free time that I finally joined. Before I joined, I tried to look for as much information online as possible and the only thing I found was small thread in a forum somewhere. So I am going to try to demystify this program as someone who’s been active in the volunteer program for well over a year.

Whether if you are interested in picking up a few tricks in the kitchen or just wanting to work in the same kitchen as talented chefs in the industry, if you’re interested in food, don’t mind washing some dishes, and got some time to spare, the Central Market volunteer program is for you!!

Here’re the answer to some frequently questions I get from people I talk to about the program*:

So what exactly do you do as a volunteer?
Pretty much everything. Here’s a list of some common tasks for volunteers: setting up the classroom, prepping/plating/serving food, and washing lots of dishes.

How long do you volunteer for?
The time commitment is pretty long (especially for a week night class) – I typically get into the kitchen at 3:30p and I don’t usually leave until 10p. For what it’s worth, the time goes by very fast when you’re there. It is a lot of fun!!

Why volunteer? Can’t I just take the class instead??
Having been both in the kitchen helping out and in the classroom taking the class, I can honestly say that you learn a lot more while you’re in the kitchen doing instead of in the classroom listening (most classes are not hands on, although they do have some pretty good hands on classes). Aside from the fact that you learn a lot (especially with unfamiliar or expensive ingredients), you also have a professional kitchen with all the bells and whistles to work in!!

What do I get for volunteering?
For every 2 classes that you volunteer for, you get a $45 credit to your next class that you take. Also you will get a portion of all the food that was served to the guests that night.

How do I get started as a volunteer?
All you have to do is go to a volunteer orientation and they’ll get you started. To find out about when the next volunteer orientation is, contact your local Central Market.

*Not all of Central Market’s volunteer program are the same. Some of these might only apply to the Austin-North Lamar location, check with your local Central Market to be sure.

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