Cook I

Christiana Care Health Services•Wilmington, DE

About The Position

The Cook I prepares a wide variety of foods, including meats, fish, poultry, and fresh, frozen, canned, or dehydrated vegetables. The cook ensures food is attractive, palatable, and served at the appropriate temperature according to standardized recipes, standard operating procedures, and applicable health codes. The role includes adjusting recipe quantities to meet production needs, tasting and smelling cooked food to assess quality, and taking corrective action when needed. It also involves maintaining FIFO rotation and accurate dating and labeling of perishable foods, keeping work and storage areas clean and organized, and discussing leftovers and run-outs with supervision. The Cook I provides courteous, compassionate service to patients, visitors, customers, and coworkers; follows written and verbal instructions; communicates relevant information to colleagues and supervisors; and keeps current with policies, procedures, equipment, and required education. The position requires compliance with organizational, departmental, sanitation, and safety policies. The schedule varies between 5:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m. and 11:00 a.m.–7:30 p.m., with some shifts between those times. Every-other-weekend and holiday work is required. The position has no supervisory responsibilities and receives direction from the Associate Director, Administrative Manager, supervisors, and Cook II.

Requirements

High school graduate or equivalent.
Knowledge of food service equipment operation and use.
Knowledge of departmental policies and procedures.
Ability to read and follow standardized recipes.
Ability to calculate recipe quantities and extensions using simple math.
Ability to communicate verbally and in writing.
Ability to exercise judgment in response to customer and patient demands.
Ability to manage stress in a highly visible service organization.
Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with coworkers and other departments.
Ability to measure food quantities.
Ability to distinguish color perception for food-item response and quality control.
Ability to determine product ordering needs from production sheets using simple math.
Ability to problem-solve and make decisions about food shortages or substitutions.
Interpersonal skills focused on customer and patient satisfaction.
Ability to work every other weekend and holiday.

Nice To Haves

Six months of food service experience; an equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.

Responsibilities

Prepare a wide variety of foods according to standardized recipes and standard operating procedures, ensuring appropriate appearance, palatability, and temperature.
Produce food with attention to merchandising and visual appeal.
Extend recipes and calculate quantities to meet requested production numbers.
Taste and smell cooked food to assess quality and take corrective action as needed.
Date, rotate, and serve perishable items using FIFO guidelines; maintain accurate food dating, labeling, and shelf organization.
Discuss leftovers and run-outs with supervision.
Keep work areas and the cook’s walk-in clean and organized.
Provide courteous, compassionate customer service and practice service recovery.
Read and complete assignments within established time frames while maintaining productivity without direct supervision.
Communicate pertinent information and feedback to coworkers and supervisors, and follow written and verbal instructions.
Stay informed about policy, procedure, and equipment changes; complete mandatory education and participate in meetings.
Follow organizational and departmental policies and comply with sanitation and safety requirements and applicable health codes.