Start Here...
- Please read and understand your role early and often! The Chairperson/s are happy to answer any questions you have. We only ask that you read this page all the way through, and that you review this committee's report from last year, a PDF file at the bottom of this page, before proceeding.
- Your committee members will bring all sorts of creative ideas to your committee. So try to recruit volunteers before the end of the school year as it may be hard to wrangle volunteers once school begins. Stay in touch with your volunteers over the summer.
- We would like to store as many of the Spaghetti Supper documents on this website as possible, so please keep an accurate electronic record of your progress as you go.
- Once the Chairperson/s set the first Spaghetti Supper meeting in late August or September, schedule your own committee meeting in September.
- Please attend all Spaghetti Supper meetings, sending a representative only if you cannot attend. Your attendance helps you and the rest of the committees.
- If you make use of you committee binder, add a printed copy of your report and copies of any documents and be sure to return it to the Chairperson/s at the wrap-up meeting after the supper.
- Send an electronic copy of your report and any support documents including photographs, PDFs of documents and/or templates for future chairs to use, to the Spaghetti Supper Chairperson and Class Treasurer.
- Have a great time!
- Grazie!
Kitchen Committee Responsibilities
Review the Massachusetts guidelines for food service here, http://www.mafoodsafetyeducation.info/cook/food-safety-for-food-workers/. You can print out the PDF below, although it is recommended that you check the link to be sure the guidelines are up to date. Print or email the PDF to share the guidelines with your team.
massachusetts_food_safety_for_food_workers.pdf |
Arrive early to reheat the Sauce!
Sauce Crew prepares the sauce the night before and stores it in the walk in cooler. First duty is to get the ovens started and get the sauce reheating. The ovens need to be turned on by 12:30 PM and the sauce put in the ovens by 1 PM. Some sauce may be stored in 5 gallon buckets and will need to be transferred to the oven pans. The sauce needs to be checked and stirred regularly and is done when it reaches 160 degrees at which time you can transfer it to one of the warming ovens. Vegetarian Sauce was reheated separately in pots on the stove top. ( A very STRONG person is needed to do this job. The pans do not have handles, are very large and heavy and quite difficult to maneuver when hot.)
Set up the line
Pretty easy- fill and turn on the warming wells then load up with sauce and pasta. See diagram of kitchen for placement of salads, cookies and garlic bread.
Cook the Pasta
Each vat of water takes approximately 45 minutes to boil. The vat should start heating no later than 3:15 PM. Keep cooking pasta as quick as you can turn it out. Cooked pasta gets oiled and put in pans in the warming ovens. Gluten Free pasta is cook on the stove with the veggie sauce. In 2022, we only needed to cook around 7 lbs of gluten free pasta for the whole evening.
Serving Line
Pretty straightforward but important to keep things moving. Consider using gloved hands to serve the pasta instead of the pasta serving utensils which may slow things down. Ask Sue Robichaud for advice on portion sizes and keep an eye on your servers. Create a sample plate so that everyone will have an idea of how much pasta and sauce to plate.
Cleanup
One line can be shut down around 7:30 PM depending upon traffic and cleanup started.
Kitchen cleanup is the Kitchen Crew’s responsibility. The Cleanup Crew takes care of dishes and utensils but you will be responsible for cooling and transferring the leftover sauce and pasta to the cooler and scrubbing all the pans. Serving wells need to be drained and cleaned out. Countertops should be wiped down and the floor should be swept. We also quickly mopped the floor.
Sauce Crew prepares the sauce the night before and stores it in the walk in cooler. First duty is to get the ovens started and get the sauce reheating. The ovens need to be turned on by 12:30 PM and the sauce put in the ovens by 1 PM. Some sauce may be stored in 5 gallon buckets and will need to be transferred to the oven pans. The sauce needs to be checked and stirred regularly and is done when it reaches 160 degrees at which time you can transfer it to one of the warming ovens. Vegetarian Sauce was reheated separately in pots on the stove top. ( A very STRONG person is needed to do this job. The pans do not have handles, are very large and heavy and quite difficult to maneuver when hot.)
Set up the line
Pretty easy- fill and turn on the warming wells then load up with sauce and pasta. See diagram of kitchen for placement of salads, cookies and garlic bread.
Cook the Pasta
Each vat of water takes approximately 45 minutes to boil. The vat should start heating no later than 3:15 PM. Keep cooking pasta as quick as you can turn it out. Cooked pasta gets oiled and put in pans in the warming ovens. Gluten Free pasta is cook on the stove with the veggie sauce. In 2022, we only needed to cook around 7 lbs of gluten free pasta for the whole evening.
Serving Line
Pretty straightforward but important to keep things moving. Consider using gloved hands to serve the pasta instead of the pasta serving utensils which may slow things down. Ask Sue Robichaud for advice on portion sizes and keep an eye on your servers. Create a sample plate so that everyone will have an idea of how much pasta and sauce to plate.
Cleanup
One line can be shut down around 7:30 PM depending upon traffic and cleanup started.
Kitchen cleanup is the Kitchen Crew’s responsibility. The Cleanup Crew takes care of dishes and utensils but you will be responsible for cooling and transferring the leftover sauce and pasta to the cooler and scrubbing all the pans. Serving wells need to be drained and cleaned out. Countertops should be wiped down and the floor should be swept. We also quickly mopped the floor.
Kitchen Committee Timeline
August
September
Set-Up on the day of the Spaghetti Supper - Please see specifics of last year's report, PDF at bottom of this page.
Follow Up
- Recruit volunteers for kitchen
September
- Contact Board of Health ( Linda Fantasia @ [email protected]) to apply for a Temporary Food Permit. Files needed can be downloaded - see below.
- Collect donated supplies and beverages
- Make sure you have all supplies for the dinner.
Set-Up on the day of the Spaghetti Supper - Please see specifics of last year's report, PDF at bottom of this page.
Follow Up
- Inventory remaining supplies and update list for chairpersons
- Transfer remaining (nonperishable) supplies back to storage shed
- Email Food Service Director to thank then for their help as well as student and parent volunteers
- Complete and submit final committee report to chairpersons
Temporary Food Permit forms
community_events_and_farmers_markets__2_.docx |
carlisleone-day_permit_application.docx |
Recommendations
- Meet with Food Services Director - Sue Robichaud - before the event and get a quick tour of the kitchen so you know what to expect.
- Best advice- recruit at least a few Kitchen Crew veterans from previous Spaghetti Suppers. There is no substitute for experience. We had a small number of volunteers so most worked both shifts. Needed are 2 Physically Strong sauce cooks, 2 Pasta cooks, and at least 6 servers on the serving line. Ideally at least one of person should be the roving troubleshooter.
- Remind your volunteers to wear hair pulled back and also wear a hat or head net. Make sure to have latex gloves for the Kitchen Crew in various sizes (ladies typically wear M and most of the gentlemen needed XL).
- At least 2 heavy lifters should arrive early. I arrived at 1230 and helped Sue get the ovens cranked up so we could get the sauce reheated. Do not overfill the sauce pans and remember to wipe the top edge of the pan so as to avoid burned-on sauce that will be difficult to remove later. Long sleeves and a good apron are necessary.
- The Kitchen Crew will be sharing the kitchen with others: Salad and Bread Crews- it can get crowded and congested, so make sure everyone has a designated space to work.
- Timeline-
- Last but not least- have fun at this event! The Kitchen Crew has the best seats in the house- you will see all the 6th grade wait staff- some nervous at first but all eager.