Cooks Helper: Part Time

About the Role

Join our senior living dining team! Assist with meal service, food prep, plating, and kitchen sanitation. Enjoy a great team environment, flexible schedules, and opportunities to grow.

The Cook’s Helper is a key member of the culinary team, responsible for line service and accurate plate presentation of menu items for resident meal service. This role ensures food quality, proper portioning, and adherence to dietary guidelines while maintaining high standards of cleanliness and sanitation in the kitchen and service areas. Although limited cooking and prep work is required, the Cook’s Helper plays a vital role in ensuring smooth meal service, including replenishing items, proper use of ingredients, and timely communication with kitchen staff.

Responsibilities

• Serves menu items to residents as deemed by checks/selector tickets.
• Uses proper utensils and portion control of menu items.
• Properly follows special diets and small portion guidelines.
• Follows SERV Safe procedures.
• Ensures food quality by following proper plate presentation, portion sizes, and maintains quality of food on serving line at all times.
• Replenishes food items as needed and informs back-up cook of needs in appropriate time frames.
• Uses correct sauces, gravies, and side dishes designated for menu items.
• Knows menu and ingredients.
• Ensures all food is served at proper temperatures and properly uses production sheets by recording leftovers and temperatures.
• Follows time frames during meal service and keeps up with service during peak meal times.
• Wraps, labels, dates, and records use-by dates for all items in reach-ins and serving line refrigerators.
• Sweeps and mops floors using proper techniques and ensures all work is done to meet established standards.
• Properly cleans all cooking equipment using correct personal protective equipment and cleaning agents.
• Cleans hoods, follows sanitation checklists, and ensures all work is completed to meet established standards.
• Ensures all opening and closing side work is accomplished following sanitation procedures and guidelines.
• Works scheduled hours and days as assigned and follows time clock procedures.
• Observes the attendance policy, avoids excessive absenteeism, and uses proper procedures for posting and switching shifts.
• Reports deviations of schedule to supervisor in a timely manner.
• Communicates openly and honestly with fellow staff members and supervisors.
• Maintains confidentiality of all information.
• Listens effectively to supervisors, residents, and staff.
• Stays current with assigned training and completes sanitation expectations for all areas.
• Participates in and completes all required ongoing training, including monthly online and in-person training, annual skills competencies education, and role-specific certifications.

Requirements

• High School Diploma or GED (required or being pursued by high school student).
• 0-1 year prior serving experience in the food service industry.
• Prior experience working with the senior population (preferred).
• SERV Safe Certification (preferred).
• Completion of the Highlands Hearthstone Ambassador training within 30 days of employment (required).

Skills

• Food Service & Safety: Knowledge of portion control, special diets, plate presentation, and SERV Safe sanitation procedures.
• Time Management: Ability to work efficiently during peak service times while maintaining food quality and presentation standards.
• Communication & Teamwork: Strong interpersonal skills to coordinate with kitchen staff and follow supervisor instructions.
• Reliability & Professionalism: Consistent attendance, adherence to schedules, and compliance with facility policies and confidentiality standards.
• Physical Stamina & Attention to Detail: Able to stand for extended periods, perform cleaning tasks, and ensure accuracy in food temperatures, labeling, and record-keeping.

Core Values

• Ambassador: Represents The Highlands at Wyomissing® in a positive light with integrity. Takes pride in our community.
• Commitment: Dedicated, adaptable, tolerant, dependable, focused, and passionate. Often does more than is required. Reports to work as scheduled and timely.
• Compassionate: Empathetic, mindful, and kind.
• Innovative: Curious. Identifies new methods and efficiencies.
• Results-Driven: Strong sense of urgency about solving problems and completing work. Exerts unusual effort over time to achieve a goal. Maintains commitment to goals in the face of obstacles and frustrations.
• Team Oriented: Works cooperatively and effectively with others to achieve common goals.

The Highlands’ Traditions (Customer Service Expectations)

• Safety: Practices safe behaviors to ensure the safety of all.
• Kindness: Projects a positive image and energy. Courteous and respectful to all. Goes above and beyond to exceed customer expectations.
• Show: Takes pride in self-appearance. Stays in “character” and performs the “role in the show.” Ensures work area is show-ready.
• Efficiency: Performs role with consistency and efficiency. Uses time and resources wisely.

Schedule

This position is part-time in a health care facility that is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Rotating shifts as well as holiday and work during inclement weather will be required.

Physical Requirements

• Regularly required to talk and hear. Visual acuity must be adequate to perform job duties, including reading information from printed sources and computer screens.
• Continuously required to walk, climb, crouch, reach above shoulder, lift from waist level up, lift above shoulders/head, and lift up to 25 lbs.
• Occasionally required to sit, bend, squat, crawl, kneel, balance, pull with force, push/push up to 350 lbs., lift from floor level up, and lift 50 lbs.
• May be exposed to bloodborne pathogens, communicable diseases, potential electrical shock, extreme conditions (heat or cold), high noise levels, moving mechanical parts, toxic/caustic chemicals, and rare occasions of interacting with a resident exhibiting aggressive behavior.

Work Authorization/Security Clearances

• Medical Screening
• Criminal History Clearance
• FBI Fingerprint Clearance (only required if you have not lived in PA for the last 2 years)
• Immigration and naturalization (I-9) Clearance