Job Opportunities

Beacon Farmers’ Market Job Opening: TASTING STATION COORDINATOR | PART-TIME SEASONAL (October 4–November 22, 2026)

Beacon Farmers’ Market | Sundays, October and November
Part-time seasonal position | $20/hour | 5 hours per Sunday | 8 weeks

The Beacon Farmers’ Market is looking for a friendly, energetic and dependable person to lead our new TASTING STATION, an eight-week seasonal tasting program designed to get market-goers curious about local food and the farmers and makers behind it.

Each Sunday, the TASTING STATION will feature a simple two-ingredient tasting using foods found around the market — think apple + cheddar, carrot + honey, pear + maple, bread + olive oil, or a side-by-side taste test of two local cheeses.

The TASTING STATION is for everyone, with a special emphasis on making tasting and food discovery fun and approachable for kids and families. It's a lively little place within the market to try something seasonal, discover a new pairing, learn who produced it and maybe see a familiar ingredient in a whole new way.

What You'll Do

  • Set up and break down the TASTING STATION each Sunday

  • Pick up (at market), prepare and portion simple food samples following provided instructions and food-safety practices

  • Actively welcome and engage market-goers of all ages, including offering samples in front of the station

  • Make the experience especially fun and approachable for kids and families

  • Introduce each week's featured ingredients and the BFM vendors who grew, raised, baked or made them

  • Encourage visitors to taste, compare and talk about what they notice

  • Share bite-sized information about what's seasonal in the Hudson Valley

  • Encourage participants to visit the featured vendors' booths and purchase the items if interested

  • Facilitate simple voting and feedback about each week's tasting

  • Keep the station welcoming, organized, clean and stocked throughout the market

  • Track basic program data, including number of participants, approximate adult/kid participation, samples distributed, votes/reactions and other useful observations

  • Share quick weekly feedback with market staff about what people responded to and which tastings generated the most interest

  • Follow market and food-safety guidelines, with careful attention to allergens and clear communication of ingredients

  • Work collaboratively with BFM staff and participating vendors

Who We're Looking For

You don't need to be a chef or food expert! We're looking for someone who:

  • Genuinely enjoys talking to people

  • Is warm, outgoing and comfortable inviting people to participate

  • Connects naturally with both adults and kids

  • Can make tasting a carrot, comparing two cheeses or dipping bread in olive oil feel like an event

  • Is enthusiastic and curious about local food, farms and farmers’ markets

  • Is reliable, organized and comfortable taking ownership of the station

  • Can handle basic food prep and maintain a clean sampling area

  • Is comfortable keeping simple participation counts and notes

  • Can work outdoors in typical fall market weather

  • Is available for all eight Sunday dates in October and November

Experience with food, hospitality, education, farms, markets, events or community programming is a plus, but enthusiasm, reliability and the ability to connect with people matter most.

Schedule + Compensation

Sundays | October–November (October 4–November 22)
8 market dates
Approximately 5 hours per Sunday, including setup and breakdown
$20/hour

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, email a brief note about yourself and your interest in the position, along with a resume or a few sentences about your relevant experience, to Amy Bandolik, Market Manager at market@commongroundfarm.org.

The Beacon Farmers’ Market runs Sundays from 10 AM–2 PM at 223 Main Street in Beacon, NY.

About Common Ground Farm

Common Ground Farm is a nonprofit organization based in Beacon, NY, that supports and engages our community by fostering access and connection to fresh food and local agriculture through farming, education, and farmers’ markets. We operate a small-scale vegetable farm, offer farm-based education programs for children and adults, and manage the Beacon and Newburgh Farmers’ Markets.

About the Beacon Farmers’ Market

The Beacon Farmers’ Market is a vibrant weekly market connecting the community with local farmers, food producers and makers. Stewarded by Common Ground Farm, the market takes place Sundays from 10 AM–2 PM on Main Street and features seasonal produce, prepared foods, baked goods and other locally made products.

The market is also an important place for community connection and food access, accepting SNAP, FMNP, FreshConnect and other food-access benefits.

Common Ground Farm believes we are strengthened by the diversity of our staff, our board and our community and welcomes such diversity, including race, gender identity or expression, educational attainment, disability, veteran status, and personal experience with the criminal justice system. We welcome applications from people of diverse cultures, backgrounds, and experiences.