How to Prepare Taco Meal

This is the Team Lead checklist for Taco Night — shopping list, cook flow, and timing rules. Keep dinner calm, keep food safe, and protect the 6:05–6:15 covered-food window.

Timing Rules (Protect These)

Arrive by 3:00 PM and stage the kitchen for your crew.
By 5:30 PM — drinks + table setup complete.
6:05–6:15 PM — food goes out covered.
Remove covers after Pastor prays.
Desserts go out at exactly 6:15 PM.

Serving posture: calm, clear direction. Delegate and keep the kitchen peaceful.

Taco Shopping List

Use approved Summit funding procedures and keep receipts as required.

Hamburger — 20 lb
Taco seasoning — 1 1/2 cups total
Cumin — 1 cup
Rice — 6 cups (dry)
Queso — 4 jars
Chips — 4 bags
Shredded cheese — 2 × 2 lb bags
Soft shells — 6 packs
Cilantro — 4 bags

Toppings / Produce (from the taco prep list)

Sour cream — 4 containers
Guac
Limes — 1 bag
Onion — 4
Roma tomatoes — 8
Lettuce — 5 heads
Beans — 6 cans
Salsa (mild + hot) — 4 jars
Peppers — 2 jars

Fruit (Taco Night)

1 container mixed grapes
2 containers watermelon
2 containers cantaloupe
2 containers pineapple
2 containers mango
1 container blueberries
2 containers strawberries

Cook Flow (Kitchen)

1) Set the kitchen up (3:00 PM)

Assign roles (Prep Cook / Beverages / Desserts / Setup / Clean-Up Crew).
Confirm serving layout is set for Taco Night (setup team handles table orientation).
Start dish flow plan (Clean-Up Crew begins dishwashing coverage at 5:00 PM).

2) Cook the taco meat

Brown 20 lb hamburger.
Add 1 1/2 cups taco seasoning.
Add 1 cup cumin.
Stir well and keep warm for service.

3) Make cilantro-lime rice

Measure 6 cups rice.
Rinse and soak using 2 cups of water.
Drain.
Add 12 cups water.
Cook on low heat.
Add cilantro and squeeze in limes (include pulp).

4) Stage the line (covered)

Confirm toppings are being prepped (Prep Cook guides).
Stage queso, chips, shells, and cheese for clean flow.
Coordinate with Beverages/Setup so everything is ready by 5:30.

Food-out rule: Put food on the line covered between 6:05–6:15. Covers come off after Pastor prays.

Fridge Rules (Use Anytime You Store Food)

Keep clean & clean spills. (Do not store raw meat to thaw without a pan.)
Date all food. (Use marker and write clearly on food label.)
No date or expired = auto-discard. (Not dated or beyond 2 weeks is thrown away weekly.)
Fridge is audited first of each month. (Cleaned/sorted; no date/expired discarded.)
Staff and elder board may remove any food at their discretion if it’s a health risk.