Cook

Description

GENERAL STATEMENT OF JOB

This is the first of two levels in the Dietary series. This position prepares acceptable meals, snacks, and special diets for seniors while ensuring strict food safety, sanitation, and dietary compliance. Assists with menu planning, bulk cooking, ensuring kitchen facilities are clean, and adhering to health regulations for preparing food.
***PLEASE NOTE: THIS POSITION WILL BE FOR THE SENIOR CITIZENS' CENTER AND IS CONTINGENT ON FISCAL YEAR 2026-2027 BUDGET APPROVAL. THIS POSITION WILL REMAIN OPEN THROUGH MAY 13, 2026, OR UNTIL FILLED.*** Example of Duties

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Essential Functions:

• Cooks, seasons, and prepares appetizing meals and snacks according to recipes and menus.
• Maintains a clean sanitary kitchen and stores food according to health department, state, and local regulations.
• May prepare meals that accommodate special nutritional guidelines or dietary restrictions like low-sodium, diabetic, or religious requirements.
• Inventories food, supplies, and equipment and notifies Kitchen Manager when items are needed.
• Assists with serving meals and cleaning up the kitchen and dining area afterwards.
• Maintains daily logs of food temperature and cleaning tasks.
• Performs other related work as required.

Typical Qualifications

MINIMUM EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Education and Experience:

• High school diploma or GED.
• Two (2) years of experience in a commercial kitchen, institutional cooking, or other food service setting.
• An equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to perform the job's essential duties.

License and Certifications:

• Must be CPR Certified within one month of hire.
• Possession of a valid driver's license.

Supplemental Information

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND STANDARDS REQUIRED

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Knowledge of:

• Food service operations, menu planning, and meal preparation.
• Cooking food in bulk for a large number of people.
• Nutrition.
• General health regulations regarding kitchen operations, food handling, and food storage.
• Local and state health standards required for food handlers.
• Applicable Federal, State, and local laws, rules, and regulations, codes, and/or statues.
• Recordkeeping practices and principles.
• Communicating effectively both orally and in writing.
• Customer service principles.

Skill in:

• Cooking and serving meals in bulk.
• Comprehending and carrying out oral and written instructions.
• Providing customer service.
• Interpreting, complying, and ensuring compliance with applicable Federal, state, and local laws, rules, and regulations.
• Preparing and maintaining records and reports.
• Communication, interpersonal skills as applied to interaction with subordinates, coworkers, supervisors, the public, etc. sufficient to exchange or convey information and to give and receive work direction.

Physical Requirements:
The work is medium work which requires exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects. Additionally, the following physical abilities are required:

• Balancing: Maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling while walking, standing, or crouching on narrow, slippery, or erratically moving surfaces. The amount of balancing exceeds that needed for ordinary locomotion and maintenance of body equilibrium.
• Crouching: Bending the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine.
• Feeling: Perceiving attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature, or texture by touching with skin, particularly that of fingertips.
• Fingering: Picking, pinching, typing, or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with the whole hand as in handling.
• Grasping: Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm.
• Handling: Picking, holding, or otherwise working, primarily with the whole hand.
• Hearing: Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make the discrimination sound.
• Kneeling: Bending legs at knee to come to a rest on knee or knees.
• Lifting: Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position-to-position. It occurs to a considerable degree and requires substantial use of upper extremities and back muscles.
• Mental Acuity: Making rational decisions through sound logic and deductive processes.
• Pulling: Using upper extremities to exert force to draw, haul or tug objects in a sustained motion.
• Pushing: Using upper extremities to press against something steady to thrust forward, downward, or outward.
• Reaching: Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.
• Repetitive Motion: Substantial movements (motions) of the wrist, hands, and/or fingers.
• Speaking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word including the ability to convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately and concisely.
• Standing: Particularly for sustained periods of time.
• Stooping: Bending body downward and forward by bending spine at the waist. It occurs to a considerable degree and requires full motion of the lower extremities and back muscles.
• Talking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word including those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly.
• Visual ability 1: sufficient to perform an activity like preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; and/or extensive reading.
• Visual ability 2: sufficient to include color, depth perception, and field vision.
• Visual ability 3: sufficient to determine the accuracy, neatness, and thoroughness of the work assigned or to make general observations of facilities or structures.
• Visual ability 4: sufficient to operate motor vehicles and/or heavy equipment, both day and night.
• Visual ability 5: sufficient to perform an activity such as: visual inspection involving small defects, small parts, operation of machines; using measurement devices; and/or assembly or fabrication parts at distances close to the eyes.
• Walking: Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or move from one work site to another.

Required

Preferred

Job Industries

• Other