Senior Living Cook

Job Description

Job Description

II. Essential Duties & Core Responsibilities

1. Culinary Preparation & Special Diets

• Prepare, season, and cook a wide variety of meats, vegetables, soups, and desserts according to standardized facility recipes and production sheets.

• Strictly follow individualized resident care plans to accommodate special and therapeutic diets , including but not limited to:

  • Texture-Modified Diets: Preparing mechanical soft, ground, and pureed foods to ensure safety for residents with dysphagia (swallowing difficulties).

  • Liquid Consistencies: Correctly utilizing commercial thickeners to achieve nectar-thick or honey-thick liquids as clinically prescribed.

  • Medical Restrictions: Preparing low-sodium, diabetic-friendly (no concentrated sweets), heart-healthy, and allergen-specific alternatives.

• Ensure all food is cooked to proper internal temperatures and served at peak palatability, freshness, and correct portion sizes.

2. Dishwashing & Scullery Operations

• Operate, clean, and maintain the commercial dishwashing machine, verifying that wash and rinse cycle temperatures meet state health codes.

• Manually wash, rinse, and sanitize larger pots, pans, sheet trays, and cooking utensils using the standard three-compartment sink method.

• Promptly air-dry and return all clean dishes, silverware, glassware, and cookware to their designated storage locations to keep workstations clear.

3. Kitchen Sanitation & Deep Cleaning

• Maintain a pristine culinary environment by executing daily, weekly, and monthly deep-cleaning schedules for the entire kitchen area.

• Clean, sanitize, and polish high-use surfaces, including stainless steel prep tables, cutting boards, stovetops, grills, ovens, and deep fryers.

• Sweep and mop kitchen floors, walk-in coolers, freezers, and dry storage pantries during and at the conclusion of each shift.

4. Waste Management & Trash Disposal

• Routinely empty all kitchen trash cans, compost bins, and recycling receptacles throughout the shift to prevent odors, pests, and cross-contamination.

• Safely transport heavy commercial trash bags and organic waste directly to the external facility dumpster.

• Break down all bulk cardboard delivery boxes completely, ensuring they are placed inside the proper disposal units and that loading zones remain un-cluttered.

• Tie off and replace trash liners immediately, maintaining clean, sanitized bins.

5. Inventory, Safety & Compliance

• Check in, label, date, and properly store incoming food and supply deliveries utilizing the FIFO (First In, First Out) method.

• Monitor and record daily logs for refrigerator, freezer, and food holding temperatures, reporting any mechanical issues immediately.

• Adhere strictly to all personal hygiene, hair restraint, and glove-wearing protocols required for food service.

• Professional Experience: Minimum of 1–2 years of experience as a cook in a commercial kitchen, restaurant, or healthcare environment. Experience with geriatric dietary needs and texture-modified diets is highly preferred.

• Technical Knowledge: Strong understanding of safe food handling practices, temperature logs, sanitation codes, and kitchen equipment operation. ServeSafe Certification is a major plus.

• Speed and Organization: Ability to multitask efficiently, managing cooking timers while concurrently handling dishes and floor cleaning during slower windows of the shift.

• Interpersonal Attitude: A respectful, cooperative, and compassionate demeanor, working collaboratively with care staff to accommodate special resident food requests or adjustments.

• Must successfully pass a comprehensive criminal background check, fingerprinting clearance, and a pre-employment drug screening.

• Physical capability to lift, push, and pull up to 50 lbs unassisted (such as stock boxes, large pots of food, and heavy trash bags).

• Ability to stand and walk on hard surfaces for the duration of an 8-hour shift, withstand hot kitchen temperatures, and work safely with commercial cleaning chemicals.