Volunteer at 18th Street Kitchen
At our 18th Street Kitchen in San Francisco, paid classes reach curious home cooks with the means to pay for instruction. Here we host hands-on cooking classes, baking workshops, tasting seminars and food-focused events. Our diverse chefs lift up home cooking traditions from around the world, and inspire students of all skill levels with confidence and creativity in the kitchen.
Note: Volunteer applications are currently closed. See below for more information about the next application cycle.
18th Street Kitchen Volunteers serve as assistants to our events listed on the calendar. Volunteers set up our teaching classroom and kitchen, serve guests, assist chef instructors, and clean up after the event has ended.
Volunteering has many perks:
- working alongside a variety of chef instructors
- connecting with other food-loving people
- receiving the recipes from class
- taking home free food from events
- earning additional benefits, such as a free year of membership to 18 Reasons, a free or discounted ticket to 18th Street Kitchen events, and Bi-Rite Market gift cards.
We prioritize training volunteers who are available on weeknights and weekend afternoons for 6 hour shifts. We expect volunteers to be present for the entire time of their shift.
Typical volunteer shifts are:
- Monday through Thursday: 5-10:30 pm
- Friday: 5-11 pm
- Saturday: 3-9 pm
- Sunday: 3-9 pm
We have a roster of about 100 active 18th St. Kitchen Volunteers. Volunteers must be at least 21 years of age, possess a valid California Food Handler certification, and be vaccinated against Covid-19, and abide by our core values. A volunteer is expected to complete at least 6 shifts a year to remain active.
How can I volunteer?
Current Status: We are not currently accepting applications for new volunteers. We hope to hold another orientation in Feb 2025.
First, an in-person orientation must be available. All volunteers are required to attend this orientation before assisting with their first event. Due to the limited size of our roster, we hold orientation roughly every 3-6 months. Orientations are typically held on a weeknight from 6-8 pm. We choose to hold an orientation only when there is space on our roster to welcome new folks. There are two ways to know if applications are open: check this webpage for an upcoming orientation's date/time, or read our newsletter for an announcement (sign up here).
In order to be invited to the orientation, you must complete an application online. Applications are generally open for 3-4 weeks before the orientation. Once your application is submitted, we will review it and email you if we approve your application. If your application is approved, you will be invited to the orientation by Google calendar invite.
If you miss the orientation that you are invited to, we are unable to offer a make up session due to limited staff capacity. You will need to wait for the next group orientation, which may be 3-6 months later.
If you have questions about the volunteering application process, please email us at 18thstvolunteers@18reasons.org.
