Cook - Dietary Aide HCC

PruittHealth•Toomsboro, GA

About The Position

The Cook prepares palatable, attractive, and nutritionally adequate meals in institutional quantities, following departmental policies and procedures, state and federal regulations, and menu cycles prepared by the Dietitian. The role ensures that food is prepared and served at the proper temperature and time, and meets residents’ daily nutritional and special-diet needs. In coordination with the Director of Food Service, the Cook helps allocate resources efficiently so residents receive food in the appropriate amount, type, consistency, and frequency to support nutritional needs and quality of life. The Cook also assists with meal preparation, between-meal nourishment, tray-line service, and food substitutions that accommodate residents’ choices and cultural, ethnic, and religious preferences. The position includes supporting and supervising kitchen staff, maintaining food and equipment supplies, and cleaning and sanitizing work areas and equipment. The role follows food-handling, infection-control, workplace-safety, and emergency procedures, and communicates concerns and resident meal acceptance information to the Dietary Manager.

Requirements

Sufficient education to demonstrate functional literacy.
At least one year of institutional food-service experience as a cook.
Working knowledge of food handling, preparation, and storage techniques that comply with state and federal laws and regulations.
Ability to apply food-service regulations to cook duties and to the supervision of staff assistants.
Ability to follow standardized recipes and established facility policies and procedures.
Knowledge of facility emergency and disaster procedures, including locating the nearest exit and responding to emergency instructions.
Ability to follow workplace-safety and infection-control procedures, including universal precautions, personal protective equipment use, and hazardous-material handling.
Ability to communicate with the Dietary Manager and promptly report problems or injuries.

Nice To Haves

Experience in long-term-care food production.

Responsibilities

Assist with preparing meals, salads, desserts, snacks, and other dishes, as well as between-meal nourishments.
Follow diet orders and NPO diet orders.
Serve nourishments in accordance with procedural guidelines.
Store leftovers and opened food properly.
Follow procedures for serving partner meals.
Offer menu substitutions and record them according to procedural guidelines.
Comply with infection-control policies in the work area.
Deliver trays to residents in halls and dining areas.
Assist with serving beverages and prepare coffee or tea as requested.
Clean dining-area tables after each meal.
Clean the work area after meals and at the end of the shift, including sweeping and mopping, and store cleaning equipment appropriately.
Clean kitchen equipment, including carts, tables, counters, ice machine, buckets, blender, mixer, meat slicer, freezer, refrigerator, stove, steamer, garbage disposal, dish machine, coffee and tea makers, and steam table.
Remove kitchen garbage and hose out garbage containers.
Scrape and wash dishes, pots, and pans, and store them properly.
Record freezer and walk-in refrigerator temperatures according to established procedures.
Maintain the dishwasher and dish sink; check and record water temperatures, test the dishwasher with sanitizer strips, and check and replace chemical levels as needed.
Maintain supply stock and store items according to established procedures.
Set up the tray line and perform tray-line service.
Operate the dish machine, garbage disposal, mixer, blender, meat slicer, steamer, and coffee and tea makers.
Use, clean, and maintain serving equipment according to established procedures.
Apply food-handling, preparation, and storage techniques in compliance with applicable state and federal requirements.
Follow recipes and prepare menu-cycle foods in institutional quantities, ensuring meals are palatable, attractive, nutritionally adequate, and served at the proper times.
Assist with supervising kitchen staff who help prepare food, assemble trays, clean, and store supplies and equipment.
Continuously clean food-service work areas during food preparation and service, and use food supplies and equipment efficiently to prevent waste.
Prepare and maintain food substitutes for residents’ choices and cultural, ethnic, and religious preferences.
Inspect trays after meal service to monitor and record resident acceptance of menu items, and report findings to the Dietary Manager.
Use food-preparation equipment according to manufacturer instructions; follow cleaning and preventative-maintenance schedules; and handle, store, and dispose of food in accordance with department procedures and regulations.
Participate in center or agency surveys, including licensure and JCAHO surveys, and complete subsequently required reports.
Attend continuing-education programs and mandatory in-services.
Respect residents’ rights, dignity, individuality, privacy, property, and civil rights, and comply with the corporate compliance program.
Report job-related occupational hazards, including exposure to blood and body fluids, and follow established safety, fire-prevention, smoking, and infection-control procedures.
Follow equipment-safety procedures and use personal protective equipment and universal precautions when indicated.
Follow facility emergency and disaster procedures, including knowing the nearest exit and responding to written or oral emergency instructions.
Inspect food-service areas for pests, safety or fire hazards, housekeeping concerns, and maintenance problems; correct or promptly report problems to the Dietary Manager.
Communicate with the Dietary Manager throughout the shift as needed, assist with preparation for state inspections, attend survey training, and interact with state surveyors as instructed.
Report injuries to self or others to a supervisor immediately.
Perform other related duties as directed by the supervisor.
Arrive on time and report for scheduled duty on all shifts, weekends, and holidays.