Substitute School Nutrition Assistant

Reports To: School Nutrition Manager

Terms of Employment: Substitute - As Needed

Nature of Work


Under general supervision, responsible for assisting the manager in oversight of kitchen operations to ensure that students are served nutritious and attractive meals in a clean and caring atmosphere. Responsible for organizing, training, food production, food service activities, and assisting the School Nutrition Manager with all record management and reporting functions. Will assist with development of kitchen staff and promotes good community relations among school clientele and broader community as directed by the manager. May function as cook, cashier, server or helper. Assists in maintaining National School Lunch Program (NSLP) compliance of Free and Reduced meals at the point of sale, as well as keeping accurate records of the same in accordance with local, state and federal rules and regulations and USDA requirements. Duties include but are not limited to performing routine tasks such as participating in food preparation, serving, cleaning, food temperature checks, cashiering, and sanitation tasks. Submit all food and non-food orders, payroll, attendance, production sheets, inventory, maintenance and equipment requests correctly and timely. Employees must have the ability to work a computer using current software to order all foods and supplies according to established specifications and procedures when needed.

Qualifications and Licensure

• High School diploma or equivalent
• 1 to 2 years of experience in the preparation of foods in an institutional setting or childcare preferred or
• Any equivalent combination of training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities

Duties and Responsibilities

• Prepares, cooks, and serves meals according to specified standardized recipes; prepares meals for special diets according to recipes or other instructions provided.
• Uses batch cooking methods and replenishes the warming cabinets and/or serving line(s) to maintain properly cooked food items during the serving period.
• Assures that safe and sanitary practices in all phases of the TPHC procedures are followed by all personnel to meet or exceed established health department and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) standards.
• Reviews menu and production records daily; Order food items to meet portion sizes, servings per unit or size, and expected production capacity per recipe. Suggests menu substitutions as necessary, and coordinates work schedule to meet serving schedule.
• Unpacks and carries canned and fresh fruits and vegetables, and frozen processed meats from storage to the food preparation area; transports breads, rolls, desserts, and other items to specified areas; transfers food items from cooking equipment to serving lines.
• Assists managers in ordering the correct quantity of foods, ensures that receiving, storing, handling, preparing, and serving of food are performed according to established standards.
• Checks deliveries for invoice accuracy and report shortages. Monitors and reports receipt of items of unacceptable quality or condition by following policies.
• Provides oversight of storage for all food and non-food supplies to ensure compliance with recommended storage requirements, maintaining the cleanliness and organization of food storage areas, dating and putting up delivery stock, and counting monthly physical inventory.
• May serve meals or supplemental menu items, answer inquiries pertaining to food and meal items and provide excellent customer service.
• Prepares fresh fruits and vegetables, assembles salads, wraps sandwiches, pans food items, bakes cookies, assembles items for meal service at future times and/or locations such as prepping breakfast items for next-day service.
• Preps the serving line with appropriate condiments and paper products, monitors to ensure cleanliness and is stocked throughout the serving period.
• May open canned items, prepare condiment trays, fill drink cups, place milk in coolers, place ice cream in open freezers or replenish any other items as needed.
• Acts as cashier or back up during breakfast or lunch serving period. Maintains financial integrity for purchased meals and other foods in the cafeteria through kiosks or other remote sites to support data integrity.
• Collects and records advanced payments for lunches and breakfasts, recording amounts paid in accordance with established procedures to maintain accurate student files.
• Responsible for maintaining accurate reports of daily and monthly financial, production, and activity records for student meal charges. Counts money at the end of meal service and prepares money and checks for deposit, rolls loose coins, follows established policies and procedures.
• May assist manager with preparation of deposit and may deliver or secure bank deposit in manager's absence.
• Assists in maintenance of accurate Free and Reduced meal rosters and in screening Free and Reduced applications according to established procedures and policies as directed by manager.
• Assists students, parents, teachers and school staff with questions concerning meal programs.
• Enforces standards of cleanliness, health, and safety collection. Supports and assists in the sanitation process while maintaining proper sanitizer levels in all sinks and containers and of all cafeteria utensils pots, pans, and serving utensils. Sweeping and mopping, walls, high dusting, floor drains, loading dock; carrying out bags of garbage and placing them in the dumpster. May also assist with wiping or washing tables, chairs, or benches in the dining room.
• Assists with wrapping, recording, labeling, dating and putting away food at end of serving time; records leftovers in addition to maintaining accurate records of foods used, produced, and served on food production records.
• Takes and records temperatures of foods and food holding equipment including but not limited to freezers, coolers and warming cabinets. Completes assigned reports including temperature logs, production records and cashier's cash summary.
• Assists with dating and putting away delivery of food items weighing 50 pounds or less into proper storage space. May be assigned to check in deliveries.
• Must follow workplace safety procedures including the use of safety and personal protective equipment.
• Receives training on the time management system and is required to demonstrate knowledge of the proper use of the system on a daily basis.
• May serve as the Person in Charge (PIC) in the event that the manager is not in the facility. The purpose of the PIC is to be the lead person responsible for the safe production, service and overall handling of all matters related to food. The PIC will be the point person in the event that the Health Department or other public entities visit the school for the purpose of inspections.
• Establishes and maintains positive and effective working relationships with a broad diversity of students, staff, and the public.
• Ensure compliance with established food safety practices regarding proper dress and hygiene.
• Attends workshops, classes, lectures, etc., as directed, to enhance and maintain knowledge of food services.
• Performs any other duties as assigned by the School Nutrition Manager.

Physical Requirements (if applicable)

• Must be physically able to op;erate a variety of commercial equipment including ovens, steamers, braising pans and all types of kitchen utensils and tools pertaining to food service.
• Must be able to lift up to 50 p;ounds on occasion exert up to 2 5 pounds of force regularly or 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects.
• Physical demand requirements are in excess of those for light work.
• Must be able to stand for hours.
• Must be able to bend, twist, lift, stoop, reach overhead to perform assigned tasks.

Special Requirements (if applicable)

• Requires the ability to read and understand a variety of correspondence menus, recipes, work schedules and production sheets, etc.
• Requires the ability to prepare simple reports, logs, and lists.

DISCLAIMER


The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees of this job.