Under direct and indirect supervision, prepares a variety of foods for all areas of dining services including patient, guest, cafeteria, and catering to ensure high customer satisfaction. Assures high quality of foods produced and served and compliance with food safety and sanitation procedures. Assists in the planning of menus and in the purchasing of staples.

Essential Responsibilities

• Prepares and cooks, in large quantities, food for service to patients, guests, cafeteria and catering including scratch cooking from basic ingredients, garnished in an attractive manner.
• Participates in recipe development and communicates to appropriate staff in an effective and team-like manner.
• Follows recipes to prepare and cook food items, modifies or converts recipes for different quantities, special diets, and other needs.
• Performs opening/closing of cooks and production area including daily equipment check and temperature monitoring.
• Contacts maintenance as needed and follows up to ensure proper food safety.
• Documents Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point logs on a routine basis.
• Maintains organized food production area for efficiency and cleanliness while maintaining an effective workflow.
• Coordinates food orders with the production team and assists the Food Service Aides as required.
• Stores leftovers according to established standards and plans for daily, holiday and theme menus in collaboration with supervisor.
• Assumes lead responsibilities during scheduled working shifts and ensures smooth operation of cafeteria services during absence of supervisor.
• Responsible for inventory of all food and supply items and maintains cleanliness and sanitation of equipment, food storage and work areas.
• Completes cleaning according to daily and weekly schedules and dishwashing/pot washing.

Experience

• Basic Qualifications: Minimum two (2) years hospital, institutional, or restaurant cooking experience to include food preparation.

Education

• High School diploma or General Education Development (GED) required.

License, Certification, Registration

• ServSafe Food Handler Program Certificate required at hire OR Food Handling Certificate required at hire.

Additional Requirements

• Demonstrated knowledge of and skill in ability to follow and modify recipes for quantity and taste.
• Ability to safely and effectively operate standard foodservice equipment, adaptability, decision making, customer service, oral communication, planning, problem solving, teamwork.

Preferred Qualifications

• Associates degree in institutional food preparation.
• Post high school on-the-job training in basic institutional food prep and cooking.

• High customer satisfaction assurance.
• Comprehensive food safety and sanitation compliance.
• Opportunities for recipe development.
• Assist with scheduling work assignments.

• Minimum two (2) years of cooking experience in a hospital, institutional, or restaurant setting.
• Ability to follow and modify recipes for quantity and taste.
• Skill in operating standard foodservice equipment.
• Effective oral communication and teamwork skills.
• Strong planning and problem-solving abilities.