Child & Youth Program Cook

About the role

The purpose of the Child and Youth Program (CYP) Cook position is to perform a variety of food preparation and food service tasks for the CYP. This position is located in a child Development Center (CDC) but may assist with food preparation for the School Age Care (SAC) Program.

Responsibilities

• Helps prepare all types of meats, poultry, seafood, vegetables, fruit sauces, and gravies for menus.

• Cooks, seasons, and portions food for all meals by following standardized recipes at different levels of difficulty and plans, regulates, and schedules cooking procedures so that numerous completed food products are ready at the appropriate temperature and time.

• Plans and prepares or coordinates the preparation of an entire meal.

• Prepares menu items using special or difficult recipes that require numerous interrelated steps, many ingredients, and lengthy preparation time.

• Designs, implements, and maintains specialized and general office kitchen maintenance tasks, such as cleaning serving carts, food preparation areas, cupboards, drawers, and dishwashing areas; setting up and operating a mechanical dishwasher; scraping, soaking, scouring, and scrubbing the heavier cooking utensils such as mixing bowls and pots; performing heavy-duty cleaning tasks throughout the food service and related areas; cleaning exhaust hoods; cleaning spaces under and behind kitchen equipment, including moving the equipment; washing floors and walls with powered cleaning equipment; cleaning walk-in refrigerators and freezers; and sanitizing garbage rooms.

• Maintains work area in a clean and orderly manner, adhering to NAVMED P5010 and all local policies and procedures.

• Labels and dates all items in refrigerators and freezers and stores leftovers in accordance with sanitation and health standards.

• Stores canned, boxed, and/or frozen items in food storage area. May unload food and supplies from delivery trucks.

Qualifications

• Must obtain and maintain a valid food handlers' card.

• Must successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check.

• Must pass a pre-employment physical, provide evidence of immunization, be free of all communicable diseases, and obtain appropriate immunization against communicable diseases.

• Must possess the following: Knowledge and understanding of food handling techniques, personal hygiene standards, and safe work procedures. Thorough knowledge of the full range of food preparation principles including the techniques and procedures necessary to develop new or revise current recipes and to prepare and cook food in large quantities. Working knowledge of sanitation standards and procedures to prevent contamination, such as the need to clean equipment previously used for raw food before further use and the need to use a chemical sanitizer or maintain proper water temperature when cleaning dishes. Skill to perform tasks involving several procedures to prepare and cook food in large quantities. Skill to overcome practical production problems, evaluate final food products, and initiate corrective action when an item does not meet established quality standards. Skill to develop standardized recipes for quantity cooking; able to expand and modify recipes according to the capacity of the equipment in the kitchen as well and in response to adjustments in the number of servings required. Skill to manage various cooking processes so that food items are served at their peak taste, texture, and appearance with minimum holding periods and so that safe and critical temperature and time control points are met. Ability to coordinate a full range of food preparation activities involving quantity food production where a number of items are cooked simultaneously and require varied cooking methods, timing requirements, many ingredients, and numerous interrelated steps. Ability to communicate effectively in English, both orally and in writing, and possess strong interpersonal communication skills.

• High School Diploma or Equivalent.