Cook

About This Role

Department

Food and Nutrition Services

Reports to

Food and Nutrition Manager

Type

Per Diem, Non Exempt

Requisition #

12751

Position Summary

Prepare food for hospital's patients, staff and guests in accordance to the departmental and hospital policies, and local and state health regulations. Supervise the dietary staff in the performance of their duties. Maintain sanitation standards for food preparation and food storage. Prepare food and serve to patients, cafeteria and catering customers. Work on tray-line to assemble trays for patients according to tray card information and diet orders. Provide support to all fellow members of the FNS team.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Performs simple calculations, reads, writes and communicates in Chinese and English at or equivalent to high school graduation level.
• Demonstrates the ability to use all necessary food service equipment, including dish machine, food processor and coffee urn.
• Demonstrates a working knowledge of food service sanitation. Uses acceptable techniques in handling and serving foods. Cleans the can opener after each use.
• Ensure food safety by observing the "Time & Temperature Food Safety" and that no potentially hazardous foods are kept at the dangerous temperature more than 2 hours.
• Responsible in maintaining a clean, organized department, including the cooking area, kitchen, cafeteria and storage area. Supervises staff in performing daily regular and special cleaning assignments.
• Observes all safety policies and procedures. Practices safe and injury free work habit, including proper lifting procedure.
• Understands and observes the hospital's operating policies & procedures.
• Observes and assists in the development of the FNS department's operating policies and procedures, all job descriptions, activity schedules, and cleaning schedules.
• Assists in development and maintaining of the department's performance improvement (PI) program.
• Responsible for the assigned daily PI data collection.
• Understands all modified diets and be able to cook and serve accordingly.
• Reviews menus, plans ahead, directs and monitors food preparation.
• Assists in menu planning for patients, cafeteria and catering functions.
• Directs and prepares food according to the production tallies, patient menus, cafeteria menu, and catering orders.
• Supervises dietary aides in the preparation, serving, holding and storage of foods.
• Responsible for checking all refrigerators every day to ensure that all left over foods are used ordisposed of before the expiration date.
• Uses "batch-cooking method" to prepare food to reduce over production and maintain food quality.
• Coordinates food production to ensure that food will be ready as scheduled. Ensures that foods are served at proper temperature, has good appearance and maintains quality and nutritive values.
• Ensures that hot foods are put onto the steamtable just prior to serving time.
• Tastes food and adjusts seasoning accordingly. Consistently utilizes creativity and culinary knowledge toproduce high quality foods.
• Assists in the writing and updating of standardized recipes.
• Ensures food quality by monitoring that standardized recipes are followed.
• Maintains and monitors portion control on all food served, especially of food served to patients on modified therapeutic diets.
• Assists in the development and monitoring of the weekly personnel schedule for optimal labor utilization.
• Supervises patient tray-line, cafeteria and catering services to ensure overall efficiency.
• Responsible for food and supplies inventories and ordering.
• Receives deliveries and directs storage to ensure quality and quantity.
• Enforces all safety precautions and observes guidelines for hazardous material and waste disposal.
• Enforces personal hygiene, wears hair protection, cleaned shoes and uniform.
• Performs daily cafeteria sale consolidations with assigned dietary aide.
• Directs all miscellaneous petty cash purchases.
• Keep receipts of all petty cash purchases. Records all expenditures and maintains an up-to-date petty cash accounts.
• Consults with FNS manager on matter of uncertainty.
• Assumes the FNS manager's (administrative related) duties in his/her absence.
• Regularly communicates with and supervises each employee, provides guidance and assistance as needed. Demonstrates good rapport and cooperation.
• Makes fair and uniform decision in dealing with dietary staff. Makes sound judgment based on facts and careful consideration.
• Maintains a good working environment within the FNS department.
• Maintains an appropriate relation with patients, guests, and hospital staff.
• Able to respond to changes in workload, is creative, flexible and adaptive in all situations.
• Sets a good model, recognizes as a qualified, competent and cooperative team leader.
• Assists in the recruitment, orientation, and training of new employees. Recommends dietary staff fore-training and cross training.
• Conducts in-service education for dietary staff.
• Maintains Food Safety Sanitation Certification.
• Represents the hospital to attend job-related conference and workshops.
• Ensures the FNS department's operations are in accordance with department's short and long-term goals.
• Assists in developing and updating all the FNS department's job descriptions, daily activity schedules and cleaning assignment schedules.
• Assists in employee counseling and developing performance evaluations.
• Demonstrates a cost conscious attitude in the daily operation of the department i.e. avoids over-production of food, and minimizes energy waste.
• Assist in processing and tabulating all dietary invoices at month end.
• Assists in compiling patient, cafeteria and catering meal statistics to develop the monthly meal statistic report.
• Follows Hospital and Department policies and procedures at all times, including but not limited to: Administrative Manual, Environment of Care, Human Resources, Infection Control, Corporate Compliance, Code of Ethics, etc.
• Attend, actively participate and complete in-services, training classes, mandatory classes, seminars/workshops, staff meetings, exercises and drills; reads all department communication and assigned materials.
• Customer Service - Provides excellent customer service and shows compassion to all patients, visitors and co-workers. Seeks feedback to ensure all needs are met. Anticipates and recognizes the concerns of others, even if those concerns are not openly expressed.
• Communication - Keeps manager and team informed of progress, problems, development and plans. Gets along and interacts positively with co-workers and others.
• Accepts and performs other duties as assigned.

Values/Core Competencies:

• Integrity - We adhere to a code of values and make commitments that contribute to the welfare of our community.
• Respect - We seek to create a community within our organization that enhances self-worth of individuals working with us and for our patients. The dignity and respect shown to employees by management and by their fellow staff will be the model for caring for our patients. Management is committed to treating employees fairly, honestly and with respect. In return, management expects a commitment from employees to the values of the organization and its work on behalf of the community.
• Empowerment - we are committed to action and expect all employees to be proactive in decision making and problem solving. We delegate authority to match responsibility, expecting decision making to occur as close to the customer as possible.
• Team Work - We believe that quality, cost effective, compassionate care can only be provided through team work. The nature of our work and mission require sensitivity to the feelings and points of view of many. We work for the good of the team, are accountable for the results of the team and together share our successes or failures. We maintain an atmosphere of openness, honesty and trust.

• Accountability - We accept personal responsibility for our actions and take ownership of our results. We as individuals recognize achievement and are challenged to improve our performance by providing and accepting coaching and feedback.
• Quality Improvement - We will improve value through the process of continuous quality improvement with focus on the relationship between quality and cost. We have a sense of urgency in our search to find better ways of doing everything. We encourage others to try new ideas and measure and recognize results. We are willing to change the status quo to improve.
• Community collaboration and Benefit - We will collaborate within the limits or our resources with other agencies and providers to address the health care wellness needs of our community, recognizing that access to services must be made available regardless of an individual's ability to pay.
• Prudent use of resources - We will use and maintain our assets and resources prudently in order to meet community expectations. Our organization requires an overall positive return on investment to carry out its mission and to invest in new programs, equipment and facilities. We believe that integration simplifies and improves the process of health care and is a means of achieving economies of scale which will ultimately reduce costs. We seek simplification in the process of patient care and the efficient use of our resources in a changing environment.

Qualifications

Required

• Bilingual- speaks Cantonese (or Toisan) and English, reads and writes both Chinese and English
• Food Handler Certificate (within 30 days of hiring)
• Ability to successfully pass pre-employment health screening requirement
• Strong communication skills
• Ability to take initiative, adapt to changing priorities, and work independently
• Strong time management and prioritization skills
• Ability to multi-task with a high level of efficiency and attention to detail

Preferred

• High School Diploma or GED
• Previous healthcare food service cooking and supervisory experience preferred. Knowledge of (or abilityto learn) the various therapeutic diets and meal patterns

Physical Requirements

While performing the duties of this job, staff is regularly required to stand, walk, talk and/or listen. He/she uses his/her hands to do equipment set-up/cleaning/storage, etc. He/she will be preparing and cooking food frequently. Good vision is needed to be able to read schedules/patient menus/instructions/order lists, write down food temperature/place food orders, etc. He/she must have good general health and demonstrate emotional stability so as to carry out the above-enumerated duties.

Preferred

• Able to lift up to 20 pounds unassisted, or 30 pounds with assistance
• Use proper body mechanics when handling equipment
• Mostly standing, walking and moving during shift

Compliance Requirements

Complies with Chinese Hospital Compliance Handbook including Code of Ethics and all statutes, regulations, guidelines applicable to federal and state programs. Responsibilities include, following the guidelines and reporting suspected violations of any statute, regulations, agreements or guidelines applicable to all healthcare programs.

Base Pay Scale

Starting at $24.28 - $36.39 per hour. The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, internal equity, experience, education, specialty and training. This pay scale is not a promise of a particular wage.

Sound like a match?