Department

Worker Sub Type

Work Shift

Pay Grade

Job Description

The Cook performs a wide variety of tasks and operations to prepare and cook foods for patients, employees, and others as directed, following standard practices and procedures and complying with regulatory requirements.

Responsibilities and Duties

Prepares food for meals on the correct day at the correct time. Ensures that the food is not prepped too far in advance.

Weigh and measure all ingredients for each recipe placing in safe and sanitary locations until needed.

Follows established procedures using recipes, yield charts, and equipment operation instructions to produce the best quality of food.

Follows proper food handling techniques, such as wearing gloves and hair net, washing hands regularly, especially after a trip to the restroom, wearing an apron, warning fellow employees of hot surfaces and sharp objects, and avoiding cross contamination or leaving a workstation unsupervised to prevent a fellow employee from cross contaminating food and work areas.

Ensures all food items are prepared, stored, thawed, and held under proper time and temperature constraints.

Reads ingredients and directions carefully.

Takes food temperatures carefully and correctly.

Ensures that the portion sizes are correct and presented neatly on the plate.

Listens and focuses on the dietary needs to ensure the correct meal is plated.

Cleans the station when finished for the next employee.

Assists as manager deems necessary.

Develops ideas that improve job performance as well as others.

Develops ideas that improve the quality of food and service to customers.

Assists with recipe development and testing.

Attends department meetings.

Demonstrates a willingness to cross training on other nutritional service jobs in and outside of the kitchen.

Cleans carefully using sanitation techniques after working at a particular station.

Warns employees of spills or other hazards.

Labels food that will be opened and stored in the fridge.

Cleans while working.

Takes dishes to the dishwasher and offers to spray them off and cleans stationary equipment for the next user.

Follows proper cleaning instructions whenever needed.

Stores all inventory in the correct location as well as replaces ingredients in their correct location.

Education
High School Diploma or equivalent preferred.

Experience

Minimum of three years of cooking experience required, or, for internal candidates, on-the-job exposure/cross training observed by Manager.

Ability to read and follow recipes and instructions with experience in food preparation, storage, and sanitation is required.

Certification & Licensure
Must complete and pass Serve Safe exam within six months of hire.

Qualifications
Must be 18 years of age.

Ability to read and follow recipes and instructions with experience in food preparation, storage, and sanitation.

Ability to calculate a change in ingredient measurements.

Ability to be a team player and have a positive attitude with the ability to communicate effectively with all levels of staff.

Ability to work efficiently and accurately while multi-tasking without direct supervision.

Ability to make responsible, quality decisions in regard to food production, safety, and sanitation.
 

Benefits

At Valley Health, we believe everyone is a caregiver, and our goal is to create an environment where our caregivers thrive physically, financially, and emotionally. In addition to a competitive salary, our most popular benefits for full-time employees include:

• A Zero-Deductible Health Plan
• Dental and vision insurance
• Generous Paid Time Off
• Tuition Assistance
• Retirement Savings Match
• A Robust Employee Assistance Program to help with many aspects of emotional wellbeing
• Membership to Healthy U: An Incentive-Based Wellness Program

Valley Health also offers a health savings account & flexible spending account for childcare, life insurance, short-term and long-term disability, and professional development. In addition, several perks come with working for the largest employer in the region, such as discounts to on-campus dining, and more.

To see the full scale of what we offer, visit valleyhealthbenefits.com.