Child Development Center Lead Cook

Armed Services YMCA of The U S A • Arlington, VA

2d • $27

About The Position

Lead Cook receives instructions and then passes them on to the assigned workers. Works along with employees and sets the pace, demonstrates proper work methods in own craft areas. Incumbents provide plans, blueprints, materials and tools as needed. Obtains needed information or decisions form supervisors on problems that come up during work. Maintains current knowledge and answers questions of other workers on procedures, policies, written instructions and other directives. Assures that safety and housekeeping rules and followed. Incumbent reports to supervisors on status and progress of work. Perform other duties as assigned.
Salary commensurate with experience ($26.66 per hour)

Requirements

• Knowledge and understanding of food handling techniques, personal hygiene standards, and safe work procedures.
• Thorough knowledge of the full range of food preparation principles including the techniques and procedures necessary to develop new or revise current recipes and to prepare and cook food in large quantities.
• Working knowledge of sanitation standards and procedures to prevent contamination, such as the need to clean equipment previously used for raw food before further use and the need to use a chemical sanitizer or maintain proper water temperature when cleaning dishes.
• Skill to perform tasks involving several procedures to prepare and cook food in large quantities.
• Skill to overcome practical production problems, evaluate final food products, and initiate corrective action when an item does not meet established quality standards.
• Skill to develop standardized recipes for quantity cooking; able to expand and modify recipes according to the capacity of the equipment in the kitchen as well and in response to adjustments in the number of servings required.
• Skill to manage various cooking processes so that food items are served at their peak taste, texture, and appearance with minimum holding periods and so that safe and critical temperature and time control points are met.
• Ability to coordinate a full range of food preparation activities involving quantity food production where a number it items are cooked simultaneously and require varied cooking methods, timing requirements, many ingredients, and numerous interrelated steps.
• Ability to communicate effectively in English, both orally and in writing, and possess strong interpersonal communication skill.
• Minimum 18 years of age.
• High School Diploma or equivalent.
• Must participate in continued professional development through enrollment in formal and informal educational courses related to early childhood education/food service.
• Position is subject to special inoculation and immunization requirements as a condition of employment for working with children. Employee is required to obtain appropriate immunization against communicable, which includes the influenza vaccine.
• Must obtain and maintain a valid food handlers’ card.
• Must have 2 years of food service experience.
• Must pass pre-employment physical, provide evidence of immunization and be free from communicable disease.
• Satisfactorily complete all background checks.
• Must satisfactorily obtain or complete required training certificates and maintain certifications or credentials required by federal, state or National Accreditation institutions as used by the CDC.

Responsibilities

• Plan nutritional menus in collaboration with the Child Care Director and prepare all types of meats, poultry, seafood, vegetables, fruit sauces, and gravies for menus.
• Prepare, cook, season, and portion food for all meals by following standardized recipes at different levels of difficulty and plan, regulate, and schedule cooking procedures so that numerous completed food products are ready at the appropriate temperature and time.
• Prepare menu items using special or difficult recipes that require numerous interrelated steps, many ingredients, lengthy preparation time. They prepare a variety of menu items using several different and complex methods of preparation such as cool or chill.
• Designs, implements and maintains necessary specialized menus to ensure all children with allergies are served appropriate food and/or drink alternatives.
• Monitor temperatures and steam pressures, evaluate the condition of food being cooked at frequent intervals, and turn and baste meat to add flavor and to prevent uneven cooking and drying out.
• Modify recipes for ingredient quantities, the number of servings, and the size of the equipment available.
• Regularly and thoroughly cleans serving carts, food preparation areas, cupboards, drawers, and dishwashing areas; set up and operate a mechanical dishwasher; scrapes, soaks, scours, and scrubs the heavier cooking utensils such as mixing bowls and pots; performs heavy-duty cleaning tasks throughout the food service and related areas, such as cleaning ceilings; exhaust hoods; spaces under and behind kitchen equipment, including moving the equipment; washing floors and walls with powered cleaning equipment; cleaning walk-in refrigerators and freezers; and sanitizing garbage room.
• Labels and dates all items in refrigerators and freezers and stores leftovers in accordance with sanitation and health standards.
• Stores canned, boxed, and/or frozen items in food storage area at appropriate temperature.
• Unload food and supplies from delivery trucks.
• Responsible for complying with security, fire and sanitation rules, policies, procedures, and regulations.
• Ensures compliance with U.S. Agriculture (USDA) Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and all pertaining standards, policies, and regulations.
• Maintains all documentation for the CACFP program.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Sign-on Bonus: Eligible candidates will receive a $500 sign-on bonus upon hire.
• Retention Bonus: Earn up to $1750 in retention bonuses, distributed over key employment milestones as part of our commitment to employee satisfaction an longevity.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Education Level: High school or GED