Cooking for Crowds in Ellsworth

Many organizations and community groups rely on volunteers for a variety of food events such as fundraising, fellowship, food pantries or other services to the community. But cooking for a crowd is tricky! How do you store all that food? When is the food completely cooked? How long can you leave food on the buffet table? Join UMaine Extension Laurie Bowen in this workshop on safe food handling designed specifically for volunteers. Participants receive Cooking for Crowds, a manual specifically designed to volunteer cooks, a certificate of attendance, posters, and an instant read thermometer. This class meets the Good Shepherd Food Bank food safety training requirements.

Learn up-to-date methods for safely preparing, handling, and serving food for large group functions such as soup kitchens, church functions, food pantries, and community fundraisers.

Workshops cover the following food safety guidelines:

• Planning and Purchasing
• Storing Food Supplies
• Preparing Food
• Transporting, Storing and Serving Cooked Foods
• Handling Leftovers

Register for June 3 Cooking for Crowds Workshop. Registration deadline: May 27, 2026

If you have any special accommodations requests please reach out to Laurie Bowen at 207.942.7396 or 1.800.287.1485 (within Maine) to discuss your needs. Receiving requests for an accommodations at least 10 days before the program provides a reasonable amount of time to meet the request, however, all requests will be considered.