Dietary Cook

DEPARTMENT: Food and Nutrition Services

REPORTS TO: Dietary Manager

POSITION SUMMARY: The Cook is responsible for preparing and cooking a wide variety of foods for residents/patients, and visitors. He/she prepares food according to menus and recipes and plans cooking schedules to meet mealtime schedules. In addition, the Cook performs related duties and cleaning duties, as assigned.

RESPONSIBILITIES/ACCOUNTABILITIES:

1. Puts customer service first. Ensures that residents/patients and families receive the highest quality of service. Checks with residents during meals to ensure they are satisfied.

2. Prepares delicious and appetizing meals/foods for the residents/patients, guests and ensures resident satisfaction.

3. Follows menus, recipes and menu systems to prepare and serve meals, snacks and nourishments in accordance to prescribed resident/patient diets and requests. Take necessary measures to avoid food waste;

4. Serves meals/foods in various dining locations, including demonstration cooking and made to order foods as requested;

5. Meets established meal time schedules for all dining locations;

6. Handles and prepares food in a safe and sanitary manner at all times. Properly labels, dates and stores foods. Monitors food temperatures and acts on temperatures that fall outside of appropriate ranges;

7. Sets-up, cleans-up and properly stores foods and supplies needed for meal service;

8. Maintains clean, organized and sanitary work areas. Performs after-use and scheduled cleaning of surfaces and equipment in accordance with established policies and cleaning procedures;

9. Operates equipment in a safe manner, observes temperatures of refrigeration units and reports malfunctioning equipment to supervisor;

10. Communicates freely with the Food Service Director.

11. Adheres to Food and Nutrition Services policies and procedures;

12. Concerns his/herself with the safety of all residents/patients in order to minimize the potential for fire and accidents. Also, ensures that the center adheres to the legal, safety, health, fire and sanitation codes by being familiar with his/her role in carrying out the center's fire, safety and disaster plans and by being familiar with current MSDS;

13. Performs other duties as assigned by supervisor.

JOB SKILLS:

1. Considerable knowledge of volume food production methods and techniques.

2. Considerable knowledge of sanitation regulations and practices.

3. Ability to make simple arithmetical calculations.

4. Knowledge of regulations pertaining to department and center.

5. Basic knowledge of food related nutrition principles.

6. Ability to positively interact with residents/patients.

7. Ability to solve operational problems in absence of Food Service Director and Assistant Food Service Director/Chef Manager.

PERFORMS RELATED DUTIES:

1. Interacts with residents/patients families, visitors, center and Recover-Care subsidiary personnel.

2. Carries out other tasks as requested in situations where hands-on intervention/participation may be required.