Cook 2 | Reynolds Reentry Center

State of Washington•King County - Seattle - Downtown Business, WA

5d•Onsite

About The Position

This on-call position is represented by the Washington Federation of State Employees bargaining unit. The candidate of choice must be comfortable working in a Reentry Center environment as you will be required to work in the facility for each assigned shift. Join the Washington State Department of Corrections as part of the Reentry Center food service team as a Cook 2! The goal of this position is to provide residents with nutritious, and quality meals that support their health and successful transition into the community. In this position, you’ll plan, order, prepare, and serve meals for residents while ensuring food meets the nutritional standards outlined in the Department’s certified meal plan. You’ll be responsible for providing meals in a timely manner while maintaining high standards for food quality, safety, sanitation, and compliance with applicable state and federal regulations. You’ll also help manage food service resources within established budget requirements, ensuring residents have consistent access to healthy and nutritionally balanced meals throughout their time at the Reentry Center. Your work goes beyond preparing meals. By helping meet the nutritional needs of residents, you’ll contribute to a supportive environment where individuals can focus on building the skills, stability, and resources they need to successfully return to their communities. Join DOC and make a meaningful impact—one meal at a time.

Requirements

Two (2) years’ cooking experience in a large-scale food service or culinary operation
Current food handler permit OR One (1) year as a Cook 1 in State service
Current food handler permit
Ability to cook a variety of foods
Ability to follow written and oral instructions
Ability to write clearly, factually, and concisely
Ability to read, understand, estimate quantities and follow recipes with minimal waste
Ability to effectively communicate verbally
Ability to schedule and organize daily work
Ability to operate and demonstrate the safe handling and operation of kitchen equipment, e.g., mixers, ovens, choppers, slicers, grills, steam kettles
Ability to role model appropriate behavior to residents
Ability to supervise, coach, train, and provide constructive feedback to residents in general kitchen operational practices
Knowledge of a variety of foods
Knowledge of alternate food preparation methods i.e., cook/chill and cook/freeze
Knowledge of basic arithmetic, e.g., adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing
Knowledge of food service practices, food preparation, and production methods and procedures
Knowledge of food service record keeping
Knowledge of HACCP protocols, practices, and tools for food service
Understanding of weights and measures and differentiate between applications
Understanding of rethermalization of food process/procedures
One year of experience in food preparation or cooking, in an institutional or commercial food service setting (for Cook 1 in-training)
Proof of identity and eligibility to work in the United States

Nice To Haves

Completion of a course in large-scale cooking may be substituted for one year of experience
High School Diploma or GED
Three (3) or more years’ cooking experience in a large scale food service or culinary operation
Completion of a course in large-scale cooking may be substituted for one year of experience (for Cook 1 in-training)

Responsibilities

Participating in the preparation and service of all food on a shift
Performing mathematical calculations by converting recipes to determine the appropriate quantity of food products required to meet menu requirements and populations to be served
Ensuring adherence to appropriate portion control protocols
Checking food product during and after preparation, ensuring appropriate quality standards are met and adequate quantity has been prepared
Understanding and applying rethermalization of food process/procedures
Practicing and performing progressive cooking techniques for quality control and to decrease waste within the food service area
Following basic safety practices to preclude hazards and accidents
Preparing special diets as required (medical or religious)
Maintaining and modeling the highest standards of personal hygiene
Keeping work surfaces and equipment clean and in compliance with state and local Health Department sanitation standards
Following basic safety practices to avoid hazards and accidents
Maintaining and tracking knife and tool inventory
Performing ordering, inventory, storage, use and reporting tasks
Monitoring residents, ensuring safe and secure operations