Cook II

About the role

The Cook II prepares and cooks all food products—including soups, sauces, hot entrees, pastas, and vegetables—in quantities dictated by business volume. The position also assists with banquets, employee meals, and special functions, maintains the buffet, and ensures consistent, high-quality customer service for both internal and external customers.

Responsibilities

• Maintains consistent and attractive product presentation through portion control, fresh garnishes, and strict adherence to recipe standards.
• Consults with supervisors on daily prep lists and plans prep work for the current and following day.
• Cleans and restocks workstation for the next shift.
• Prepares food items such as cocktail sauce, tartar sauce, horseradish sauce, and cuts lemons.
• Takes hourly temperatures, logs information at the end of the shift, and reports any issues to management.
• Coordinates with other cooks to monitor and replenish food products as needed.
• Demonstrates safety, security, and hospitality in all tasks.
• Checks backups for food already in use on the buffet and monitors temperature and water content in food holding equipment.
• Keeps management informed on the status of assigned prep work.
• Dates, labels, and stores all products efficiently and sanitarily.
• Maintains high cleanliness and sanitation standards for equipment and workstations throughout the shift.
• Follows safe food handling procedures and adheres to recipe standards.
• Rotates food products in walk-ins and workstations.
• Attends mandatory trainings and meetings.
• Performs all other job-related duties as assigned.

Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent preferred.
• Previous food and beverage preparation experience in a high-volume operation required; quantity cooking experience preferred.
• Sanitation Certificate required within 6 months of hire (training provided).
• Basic math skills and effective oral/written communication skills.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with supervisors, coworkers, and the public.
• Neat appearance, friendly and polite demeanor, and a positive attitude.
• Team-oriented and flexible to work various shifts, including nights, weekends, and holidays.
• Ability to work extended hours when needed.

Physical Requirements

• Heavy physical demands: frequent lifting/carrying up to 50 pounds and team/dual lifting of up to 100 pounds.
• Constant standing, walking, pushing/pulling, use of hearing, smell, and near/midrange/far vision.
• Frequent carrying/lifting, stooping, reaching, manual handling, typing, and bending.
• Occasional sitting, climbing, kneeling, crawling, and exposure to weather or wet/humid conditions.
• Constant exposure to noise and air quality; frequent exposure to extreme heat/cold and dimly lit conditions.
• Potential hazards include constant exposure to moving mechanical parts, electric shock, chemicals, and computer use; occasional exposure to high places and insecticides/pesticides.

Native American preferred.