Food Service Assistant

Key Responsibilities

• Prepare CACFP-compliant menus
• Place food orders and manage food costs
• Receive and verify food deliveries
• Ensure all meals are delivered to classrooms on time
• Manage all clean-up, organization, and documentation
• Serve meals in accordance with USDA requirements, Bezos Academy policies, and local childcare regulations
• Assist school staff and administration with a variety of tasks including inventory checks, laundry, and other ad hoc duties
• Occasionally step into classrooms to provide direct supervision and support to the children

Responsibilities

• Place weekly food orders with the vendor based on student attendance trends and food waste analysis
• Receive and verify daily food deliveries to ensure accuracy with order quantities and alignment with the approved menu
• If meals are non-compliant, follow the Emergency Food SOP
• Manage all aspects of routine vendor performance to ensure the vendor is meeting or exceeding expectations
• Track food consumption and waste daily to ensure food costs remain as lean and efficient as possible
• Prepare and serve meals and utensils to classrooms for each scheduled meal service
• Maintain compliance with strict food hygiene and safety protocols at all times and maintain compliance with all state and local jurisdictional requirements
• Ensure the kitchen, equipment, serving utensils, cookware, and dishes are consistently cleaned, sanitized, and well-maintained
• Manage and organize food inventory, including proper labeling, dating, rotating stock, and discarding items nearing expiration in accordance with food safety guidelines
• Record and log food temperatures prior to each meal service to ensure compliance with safety regulations
• Accommodate children’s special dietary needs, including allergies, medical restrictions, and cultural or religious food requirements
• Assist in serving meals during family engagement and school events as needed
• Place weekly groceries orders based on the menu and current inventory
• Receive and verify food delivery and follow up with vendor if food delivered is incorrect based on the order or spoiled
• Prepare meals according to the planned menu and adapt recipes for dietary restrictions (allergies, religious diets, vegetarian, etc.)
• Prepare meals on a schedule (breakfast/lunch/snack)
• Adapt the menu (make substitutions) to avoid food spoilage and waste following the Menu Substitution SOP
• Help plan menus that are nutritious, budget-friendly, and appealing to students
• Ensure vendor provides a delivery receipt and keep it for 3 years
• Review meal counts for accuracy and upload into SharePoint weekly
• If there are any menu substitutions, provide the necessary menu-supporting documentation (CN label, product formulation statement, Nutrition Facts, standardized recipe)
• Attend the required annual sponsor CACFP training that includes meal pattern, reimbursement, meal counts, claims, recordkeeping, and civil rights
• Clock in/out of Workday based on food-related responsibilities
• Provide classroom coverage as needed
• Assist teachers with the full implementation of Bezos Academy’s performance standards, policies, and procedures
• Support Bezos Academy classrooms by following regulations and guidelines in the day-to-day operation of the classroom (i.e., cleaning materials, meal prep, nap time transitions, etc.)
• Organize materials and clean the workspace to facilitate the learning process for each child
• Provide 1:1 support for children who are experiencing big feelings
• Develop positive relationships with children
• Assist the Head of School and school staff in other operational duties in the school as necessary when the kitchen work is complete (e.g., support with laundry, front desk support, and other duties as assigned by the Head of School)
• Participate in team meetings, center activities, and staff development