Cook / Cook Aide

Meal Preparation Caregiver

Join a family oriented team of caregivers that daily enhance the lives of our residents through interactions, care, and service. Position summary: prepare meals for residents, family members, guests, and staff, following designated menus, in a manner that optimizes nutrition and enhances the dining experience. Consistently uphold the principles, service standards, philosophy, and mission.

Position Responsibilities

• Ensure an attractive presentation of food on each plate.
• Prepare meals according to the daily menu plan and/or as directed by Kitchen Manager.
• Serve meals and beverages on time according to mealtimes. Not early. Not late.
• Adjust or adapt recipes to accommodate specific dietary needs, when possible.
• Monitor and adhere to portion control standards.
• Maintain confidentiality of all resident information.
• Prepare meals in accordance with sanitary regulations and community policies and procedures.
• Adhere to all proper handling, labeling, and storage protocols for all foods.
• Properly document meal intakes and fluid intakes.
• Identify and communicate resident dislike and likes with kitchen manager.
• Assist in keeping noise levels down during mealtimes.
• Wash, dry, and put away all dishes.
• Restock items that are running low or out of stock.
• Accommodate sick meals to resident in the dining or bedrooms.
• Clean dining room floor and tables after each meal.
• Clean kitchen before leaving shift.
• Stock resident refrigerator and storage bins daily.
• Participate in and attend all required in-services training sessions.
• Report to administrator refusal and zero percentages of meal intakes.
• Communicate any staff or resident issues with the kitchen manager and administrator.
• All other duties as assigned.

Team Effort

• Assist in ensuring compliance with State and Local Regulations.
• Assist Dietician and kitchen manager in developing new menu items and recipes and ordering items as needed.
• Assist in appropriately interacting with residents, family members and other guests.
• Assist other departments with duties as needed and/or assigned by Kitchen Manager or Administrator.

Action

• Practice safety in working around and with equipment, chemicals, tools, and utensils and exercise safe practices around residents, staff and guests.

Success

• Contribute to resident satisfaction by ensuring that customers' expectations are met or exceeded.
• Maintain efficient and appropriate communication with residents, family members and guests.
• Contribute to marketing efforts through appropriate interaction with prospective residents and guests.

Essential Skills, Experience and Abilities

• Ability to organize and manage multiple priorities.
• Strong customer orientation to older adults.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Positive attitude, enthusiasm, and energy.
• Ability to read, write, comprehend, and follow directions in a recipe.
• Prior dining service experience in high volume setting.
• Previous experience working in a senior living environment.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Physical Demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is often required to stand, walk, sit, use fine and gross motor skills, reach with hands and arms, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, talk, hear, and or smell. An individual must have the reading ability at the level to comprehend notes. An individual in this position will be required to lift or carry weights including up to 75 pounds. The employee occasionally works in high and precarious places and is frequently exposed to heat and risk of electrical shock. Intermittent physical activity includes lifting and supporting food and food preparation items. The employee must be free of diseases that can be transmitted in the performance of job responsibilities during the stage of communicability. The employee must use proper body mechanics. Work Environment: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is exposed to minimal to moderate noise. The employee will be exposed to cleaning chemicals, food borne pathogens and may be exposed to blood and/or body fluids. The employee may encounter traumatic situations, such as a resident in crisis or actively passing away. Employee is scheduled based on operational needs (e.g., shift rotation, standby, on-call, etc.). The employee must be able to work in a fast-paced environment with a demonstrated ability to juggle and prioritize multiple tasks and demands and to seek supervisory assistance as appropriate. The employee is expected to adhere to all company policies and procedures.