Residential Cook

Casa Serena is hiring a Residential Cook to prepare lunch and dinner for the women in our residential treatment program.

You will not spend your week building menus. We keep a recipe bank, and you choose each week's meals from it based on what is in house, what clients are responding to, and any dietary needs on the current census. Your time goes into cooking the food well, not planning it from scratch every Monday.

About Casa Serena 

Casa Serena is a nonprofit that has served women in Santa Barbara for 67 years. We provide residential and outpatient treatment for substance use disorder and mental health conditions. We are licensed by the California Department of Health Care Services and accredited by The Joint Commission. Meals matter here. Shared food and steady nutrition are part of how women stabilize and rebuild in early recovery. The person in this kitchen has a direct, daily effect on that.

Schedule: Full time, Onsite, 5 days a week, 35 - 40 hours/week, approximately 10:30AM - 7PM 

What you'll do

• Cook lunch and dinner daily for roughly 10 to 15 residents, with a fresh green salad at every meal
• Plan the weeks meals from our recipe bank based on ingredients on hand, client response, and current dietary needs
• Prepare a simple afternoon snack and set up breakfast items for overnight staff
• Weekly batch-prepping: dressings, dips, make-ahead hot breakfast, veggie sticks, and other snacks
• Prepare additional meals as directed for our program staff to reheat and serve on days that you are not working / not available. 
• Keep a freezer stock of backup entrees, including gluten-free and vegan options.
• Accommodate documented dietary restrictions within the planned meal.
• Maintain inventory of kitchen staples and fresh/frozen foods. 
• Complete weekly grocery shopping trips based on current inventory and the week's menu. 
• Clean client and prep dishes, keep kitchen clean and organized, maintain proper food labelling and storage 
• Complete rotating weekly kitchen related projects. (ie: clean and organize fridge and freezers, pantry organization, etc)
• Meet weekly with the Residential Manager.

What this Job is NOT

We would rather be clear up front than lose you in month three.

• This is not a chef position. You will not design menus, set the direction of the kitchen, or supervise kitchen staff.
• We cook one meal for the house. We accommodate documented dietary restrictions, but we do not prepare separate meals to order or accommodate preferences.
• It is home-style institutional cooking at volume: soups, stews, sheet tray meals, slow cooker dishes, grain bowls, stirfries, and curries. Done well, consistently.

What we are looking for:

Required

• Comfortable cooking for 10 to 20 people and scaling a recipe up or down
• Proficient at accommodating common dietary restrictions including vegetarian and vegan diets and preparing vegan proteins (ie: tofu). 
• Food Handler Card, or ability to obtain upon hire
• Reliable attendance and the ability to hit meal times consistently
• Willingness to follow a recipe bank and a daily structure
• Organized, clean, team-player, receptive to feedback 
• Basic computer skills, experience in MS Office or Google Suite preferred
• Able to pass a background check
• Valid driver’s license, clean driving record and insurable by our insurance carrier

We'd love to see (but not required)

• ServSafe Food Protection Manager certification
• Experience cooking for dietary restrictions: gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, vegan, etc.
• Experience in a treatment, healthcare, or social services setting
• Current CPR & First Aid Certification and TB/Health Screen within 60 days of employment (or willing to obtain upon 7 days of hire)

Physical Demands / Work Environment

• Ability to sit, stand, walk, and respond quickly to emergencies
• Occasional lifting up to 25 lbs
• Exposure to clients in emotional distress or crisis situations
• Work performed in office, residential, or detox environment

Compensation & Benefits

$25.00 – $27.00 per hour, depending on experience.

• Medical insurance (90% employer sponsored)
• 401(k) with 10% employer match
• Paid vacation & sick leave
• Paid training time
• Tuition Assistance
• EAP

How to Apply

Apply directly to this post. A cover letter is welcome but not required. If you would rather just tell us about your cooking in a few sentences, that works too.