GUEST CHEF

Our Guest Chefs Serve a Home-Cooked Meal for the families at the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Tulsa.

What makes our Guest Chef program a special program? 
The families that stay with us often return to the House after a long day at the hospital and cooking a warm meal for themselves may be the last thing on their minds. Giving these families the chance to sit down to a home-cooked meal is just another way to make the Ronald McDonald House truly a comfortable and warm place for our families.

How many people should we plan on providing for?  
Plan to cook for approximately 25 people. Our House has 24 guest rooms. Once you have a date scheduled; we will call you closer to your date to give you a better estimate of how many people are staying at the House.

Will everyone show up at once to eat?  
Please be aware that not all families show up at once to eat. Experience has shown that perhaps 2-3 families appear at the start, with others trickling in as the evening progresses. Most families prefer to spend a majority of their time at the hospital with their children, and come back to rest and eat late in the evening. Although you may be putting away leftovers in the refrigerator when you clean up, families usually pick at them throughout the evening and into the night. The leftovers rarely survive lunch the next day!

Who can sign up to prepare a meal? 
This is a great service project for your work place, church, family or a group of friends. Approximately 4-6 participants in the commercial kitchen are optimal. In order to protect those staying at the House, we ask that everyone participating is healthy at the time of service. A volunteer food handler’s permit from the Tulsa Health Department is required of each cook. Click here to take the free, 10-minute online course.

Who cleans up?  
We ask that you wrap up the food and put it away, clean up the commercial kitchen and empty the trash before you leave.

Where do we prepare the meal?  
You can cook the meal right in the House. The commercial kitchen is equipped with pots, bakeware and cooking utensils. We also have a grill outside. You are welcome to bring any extra things you think you may need to cook. While cooking inside the House is recommended, we still welcome outside donations from local restaurants.

All Guest Chefs participants are required by the Tulsa Health Department to have a volunteer food handler’s permit. Click here to obtain your permit (good for one year).

What should we cook?  
Don’t be afraid to be creative! Just like you, our families enjoy a change of pace. Some options that worked well in the past are: Calzones, Casseroles, Chicken, Chili, Enchiladas, Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Italian Beef, Lasagna, Meatloaf, Pancakes, Pizza, Sandwiches/Subs, Sausages & Peppers, Sloppy Joe’s, Soups, Stews, Tacos, Turkey and Waffles. We do ask that no alcohol be brought to the House.