Lead Cook

Full-time, non-exempt, hourly union position. Starting rate: $20.06/hr (see union contract for details). Various schedules; mandatory overtime as required by the union contract.

About the Role

Providing quality meals to students, faculty, staff, and visitors in a timely manner with an emphasis on customer service. Oversee and ensure production and prep sheets in high-volume operations are completed, assist with executing and delegating tasks, and follow standardized recipes for large-quantity cooking. This role requires teamwork, communication skills, and multi-tasking abilities.

Responsibilities

• High-volume food preparation and cooking, following established recipes and production systems.
• Maintain production and usage records as required.
• Utilize products (raw and cooked) to minimize food costs.
• Supervisory duties during shifts, including coaching staff on knife skills and proper usage of kitchen equipment, monitoring recipe production, and delegating tasks.
• Maintain high sanitary, hygienic, and safety standards, adhering to HACCP and NYS Department of Health guidelines, including overseeing cleanliness and maintenance of the kitchen and equipment.
• Communicate with management on kitchen subjects such as par levels, recipe corrections, and staff knowledge.
• Assist with training new hires and student workers as needed.
• General cleaning, other food service duties, and projects as requested by management.

Requirements

• Minimum 3 years of professional cooking experience, showcasing multiple cooking techniques including sautéing, roasting, frying, broiling, braising, steaming, stewing, cold food production, and food presentation.
• Ability to slice/portion meats and cheese, set up/break down, and sanitize slicer daily, if applicable.
• Excellent customer service skills.
• Proficiency in professional knife-handling skills.
• Experience following standardized recipes.
• Experience organizing and maintaining kitchen workstations.
• Knowledge of safe food handling, preventing food-borne illness, and sanitation techniques.
• Ability to correctly identify products.
• Ability to prioritize work and execute tasks with speed, efficiency, and accuracy in a high-volume environment.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team to fulfill customer orders.
• Ability to speak, read, and write English, and accurate math skills.
• Maintain professional appearance, demeanor, and hygiene.
• Reliable transportation and attendance.
• Must pass Lead Cook screening test.

Work Environment

The work environment can be loud and busy, with exposure to kitchen hazards such as hot surfaces and liquids, sharp knives, and slippery surfaces. The position operates in a kitchen environment with frequent exposure to heat, steam, fire, noise, and extreme temperatures in coolers and freezers. Work may also take place in refrigerated and temperature-controlled environments.

Physical and Mental Demands

• Very active role requiring the ability to stand and walk for a minimum of 8 hours.
• Occasionally required to sit; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, bend, stretch, twist, or reach out.
• Regularly required to talk and hear.
• Requires manual dexterity, auditory and visual skills, and the ability to follow written and oral instructions and procedures.
• Must be able to use hands to finger, manipulate, and reach with hands and arms for tasks such as stirring, measuring, pouring, cutting, chopping, and decorating.
• Requires working taste buds, ability to smell, feel with fingers, and visually inspect, including close and distance vision.
• Frequently lift and/or move up to 25 lbs. and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 lbs.