Cook

About the role

Responsible for accurately and efficiently preparing, cooking, portioning, and presenting a variety of hot and/or cold food items for patient meal service, cafeteria, and/or catering/special events. Also handles proper receiving and storage of food and supplies, including distribution to nursing unit kitchenettes, physician lounges, and other identified locations.

Responsibilities

• Prepares and cooks to order foods for patient meal service, cafeteria, and/or catering/special events.
• May prepare and serve food directly to customers per verbal instructions, including demonstration cooking.
• Follows recipes and plating guidelines for all items served.
• Portions food items into appropriate serving containers utilizing proper portion sizes.
• Garnishes according to recipes and/or established garnishing guidelines.
• Delivers excellent customer service to both internal and external customers demonstrating core values.
• Demonstrates competency in the safe operation of cooking equipment including ranges, fryers, ovens, grills, mixers, slicers, steamers, microwaves, and toasters.
• Reports equipment malfunctions to the manager.
• Demonstrates safe and effective knife handling skills.
• Maintains clean and sanitary conditions in the food production area.
• Handles food properly during all phases of preparation and storage.
• Follows HACCP principles and complies with hospital and Health Department standards.
• Accurately records temperatures of foods in HACCP Logs as needed.
• Labels and dates all items according to departmental guidelines.
• Completes and documents daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning assignments.
• Reports any safety concerns to a manager.
• Serves as a quality assurance control point for foods prepared for consumption.
• Takes an active role in evaluating the quality and presentation of prepared food items.
• Tastes all prepared food before serving and completes taste panel log.
• Verifies accuracy of shipments and inspects food/supplies for damages and defects.
• Reports discrepancies and problems to the manager.
• Maintains cleanliness and orderliness of assigned storage areas.
• Places shipment items in proper storage and rotates items based on “First In, First Out”.
• Distributes food and supplies in accordance with established par levels or order forms.
• Discards any expired/outdated items and rotates stock based on “First In, First Out”.
• Complies with all food safety and physical safety protocols.
• Attends meetings as required to enhance knowledge, job skills, and communication within the department.
• Follows acceptable practices related to safety, sanitation, infection control, quality control, and customer relations.
• Performs other duties or responsibilities as assigned or needed, including assisting in other areas as relief.

Qualifications

Education

• High school diploma or equivalent preferred.

Experience

• 1 year of related work experience.
• Health care experience preferred.

Skills and Knowledge

• Related food service knowledge and skills.
• Customer service skills.
• Basic reading, writing, and math skills.

Licenses, Registrations, and Certifications

Not specified.