cooking samples / upscale grocery

[5cott]

I just took this position at an organic supermarket. I'll be cooking in the produce dept, making samples from my own recipes and giving out recipe cards during peek hours. I'm going to be talking to customers and helping them with what they are buying.

I've been cooking on and off for 14 years in fine dining, but quit 2 years ago to make websites. Looking for some part time work, I just landed this gig and the management seems very excited to have me there, mentioning possibility of full time work with growth and good money.

So now that I've been out of cooking, I need to get my game on, fast. I'm pretty excited and have some ideas, looking for some tips from anyone who has had this type of work before. Seems like this could be fun.

[shroomgirl]

I co-founded and ran a growers market for 7 years, we had weekly cooking demos using products from the market.....for 5 of those years we had guest chefs and I filled in when they bailed or there was an opening. For the last two years I had a RD cooking school grad who wanted to keep her newly found skills honed as my assitant and I just cooked each week.
We had events.....Kid's Day, Heirloom Tomato Fest, Apple Pie Contest....that other chefs participated.

So, weekly recipes, newsletters, what's coming in to season-what's going out of season, website with info+ if they do not have a blog going this would be your big chance.

Do not underestimate the lack of cooking knowledge.....I've had a young mother with 3 small children show up at market and need BASIC cooking info....as in how to make applesauce written out.
Ditto Kids and Teenagers......

Good Luck, it sounds like a super job working with the public turning them on to cooking.