Food Service Worker - Cook I

General Role and Function:

Responsible for food preparation. This position reports to the Production Manager and the Director of Nutrition.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities:

• Works in coordination with the Food Services Lead and Production Manager to review the menus an determine the quantities of food to prepare, washes, trims, cooks, and seasons food items during preparation, determines appropriate portion sizes, tests food for temperature and adjusts cooking times as needed.  
• Assist with the daily food preparation to include the use of all ovens, tilt kettles, stove, and all other major kitchen equipment. Supervises and assists in filling steam table, meal trays, running the lidding machine, stacking, and placing trays into heated storage units as needed.
• Assist with the preparation and packaging of frozen meals, special diets, breakfast packs and other Food Service duties as directed by the Production Manager.
• Receive deliveries and assist with stacking large cartons and cans of food in the storage areas. Assist with maintaining a clean and safe storage area.
•  Assist with temperature monitoring of all foods in the refrigerated storage areas and during the cooking process to ensure it complies with the correct temperature zones.
• Perform routine maintenance, cleaning and sanitation of the kitchen, refrigerators, freezers, and ice machine, Food Service equipment and meal storage areas as directed.
• Assist drivers and volunteers with obtaining the appropriate number of meals and side items needed for their route delivery.
• Works in coordination with the Food Services Lead to place food orders and handle staff issues.
• Other duties assigned by management.

Qualifications and Education Requirements:

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Three years of Food Service experience in cooking for an institution, cafeteria, or banquet service. Educational equivalent can be accepted in lieu of experience.
• Knowledge of basic food preparation, handling, sanitary guidelines, and kitchen safety.
• Must be able to read and write in English, count, and have basic math skills to include addition, subtraction, and multiplication, and division of whole numbers, fractions and decimals to extend recipes and calculate costs.
• Must have reliable, personal vehicle and a valid Driver’s License, good driving record, and applicable insurance coverage required by the company policy.
• Team player with the ability to work independently.
• Commitment to our mission of serving our seniors, each other, and our community to promote the dignity and independence of our clients and their needs.

Physical requirements:

• Able to stand in an upfront position for long periods of time while cooking, stocking, cleaning, and moving large food storage containers.

• Able to tolerate exposure to hot temperatures on occasion while cooking and preparing meals and cold temperatures while working in the freezer or cooler.
• Able to mop, sweep, bend, and navigate between large kitchen machinery.
• Able to occasionally lift up-to fifty (50) pounds to move office supplies or other equipment.