Volunteer Chef (Christmas Season)
At Sant'Egidio, a meal is never only a meal. It is a sign that someone is seen, remembered, and loved. This Christmas season we are looking for a chef to cook two of the most important tables of our year: our November Our Cup of Tea, and our Christmas Eve lunch, when we gather our homeless and older friends for the kind of festive meal a family shares. Could you be the one to cook it?
The role
This is a voluntary, unpaid role for the Christmas season, and a role with a great deal of heart in it. As our volunteer chef you will plan and cook for both our November Our Cup of Tea and our Christmas Eve lunch in December, leading the kitchen with warmth and calm. There is no payslip here; the reward is the joy of these two occasions, the community around you, and the knowledge that your cooking gave dignity and delight to people the world too often forgets.
Key Tasks
- Plan and cook for both occasions: Our Cup of Tea in November and the Christmas Eve lunch in December
Plan ahead, working out in good time what is needed so that nothing is left to chance
Think on your feet on the day, keeping calm and keeping the meal moving when the unexpected happens
Work warmly with our venue hosts, keeping that relationship generous and easy
Know and follow the building's safety procedures wherever we are cooking
Lead and support the kitchen team, and see the kitchen side through to the end of the day
Qualifications
[ ] Real experience cooking at scale: you have confidently cooked for 120 or more guests before.
[ ] A Food Hygiene Level 2 certificate is essential.
[ ] A kind and friendly heart, and the right fit for the spirit of Sant'Egidio: someone who cooks not simply to feed people but to honour them.
Commitment
This role covers our November Our Cup of Tea and our December Christmas Eve lunch. From October onwards there is a one hour online planning call each week, on Tuesday evenings after work, so the team prepares together. In the run up to Christmas we ask you to coordinate the kitchen team and to be available from 21 to 24 December. The Christmas Eve lunch is usually held at St Cuthbert's, Earls Court: work begins in the morning and runs into the late afternoon. Our guests tend to arrive around 12 noon and leave around 2pm, and we ask the chef to stay and see the kitchen side through to the end, when the volunteers eat together and everything is cleaned down.
How to apply
Please fill out our contact form, selecting the option "Talent Sharing", attaching your CV and writing a few words about why you would like to cook with us. Be as descriptive as you can, and do ask any questions you may have. We will get back to you as soon as possible for an informal chat. The deadline to apply is 30 September 2026. Come and cook with us.