Last night, I had my rookie volunteer experience at FareStart’s Guest Chef Night, an incredible event with an even more incredible group of people.
FareStart is a Seattle-based nonprofit that brings hope and opportunity to the less fortunate through the wonderful world of food – from training homeless/disadvantaged adults for careers in the food industry, to providing nutritional meals to shelters and low-income childcare centers. Check out this video to hear some truly amazing and inspirational testimonials from the instructors and students:
Every Thursday is Guest Chef Night at FareStart’s restaurant. This highly-coveted event is beyond fabulous and is a win-win situation for everyone involved. For one, the students have the unique opportunity to train with some of Seattle’s top chefs. It’s also a great way for the general public to enjoy fine dining at an affordable cost (3 courses for just $24.95!), while giving back to a wonderful cause. This week’s Guest Chef was Jason Franey, executive chef of Canlis, and it was no surprise that the event was sold out, with over 100 people still on the waiting list.
Chef Franey was nice enough to take a quick pic with me
Needless to say, I picked one of the busiest nights to volunteer and had to learn fast and move even faster. Having ZERO experience serving food/waiting tables, and with my tendency to trip over my own two feet, I was a nervous wreck from the get-go. And it didn’t help my nerves to have one of FareStart’s top board members sitting at my first table. Luckily Mr. M has a heart of gold and was very patient and encouraging with me. I managed to make it through the night without hurting myself, my guests or causing any physical damage to the property. Whew! 
Chef Franey and team created a delightful menu for the guests (volunteers/staff also got to enjoy the spread at the end of the night – the food was phenomenal!):
- Amuse Bouche: Pea soup shooter w/ crème fraiche
- Starter: Canlis salad (romaine, bacon, Romano cheese, fresh mint, oregano w/ a dressing of lemon, olive oil and coddled egg)
- Entrée: Beef tenderloin w/ carrot puree, peas and cumin
- Veggie entrée: Risotto w/ black truffle oil, parmesan and mascarpone
- Dessert: Vanilla bean crème brulée w/ market fruit
The real highlight of the evening was the graduation ceremony – what a wonderful way to honor the students’ hard work and success in the midst of a large gathering of supporters.
This week's graduate awaits his Certificate of Completion. Congrats!
I had such a great time volunteering, that I look forward to doing it again soon. I definitely have a newfound appreciation for all kitchen staff and servers – you people work your tails off and are not recognized enough! My hats off to you!
My rockstar teammate Nita and I still smiling after a very busy night!
For more information on Guest Chef Night and how to get involved, visit FareStart’s website: http://www.farestart.org/. You can also follow them on Twitter: http://twitter.com/farestart.
