Cook

The Yay Company•Durham, NC

13d•Onsite

About The Position

The Cook is the engine of the Yay kitchen. You’re the first one in and the person the team looks to when production gets moving. This is a hands-on cooking role — you’re at the line, in the prep, making sure every meal that goes to students is on spec and on time. You also help keep the kitchen organized and set the standard for how the team works. This is the right role if you love to cook, take pride in consistency, and want to be trusted to run the kitchen when it matters.

Requirements

Current Food Handler certification (required)
Experience in a high-volume kitchen (school food service, catering, or similar)
Strong knife skills
Comfort with both hot line and cold prep
Detail-oriented: follow recipes, label correctly, do not cut corners
Reliable, on time, and ready to work hard

Nice To Haves

ServSafe certification

Responsibilities

Hot Food Production: Cook from recipe cards, portion correctly, spot check portions, verify temperatures, and keep production on schedule.
Cold Batch Production: Produce cold items (fruit cups, veggie packs, snack packs, wraps, salads) on a set batch day, ensuring timely completion, correct portioning, immediate labeling with prep and use-by dates, and proper storage at 41°F or below. Enforce FEFO (First-Expired, First-Out).
Kitchen Pars & Inventory: Conduct full inventory counts weekly, order based on counts and the batch schedule, and enforce FEFO.
Receive deliveries, verify against invoices, and flag any issues.
Log all waste daily and review patterns weekly.
Team Development: Brief Kitchen & Service Assistants at the start of every shift with clear assignments. Ensure everyone knows their role in cold production on batch day. Debrief at least twice a week and address performance issues directly, documenting them in real time.
Sales & School Happiness: Communicate proactively with school administration regarding menu changes or service updates. Collect feedback from students and staff.
Kitchen Standards: Complete food safety logs daily (temperatures at opening, during cooking, during holding, and at close). Keep station and shared kitchen spaces clean and organized. Log waste accurately.
Team Support: Set the pace and standard for the kitchen team during your shift. Support and lead team members by demonstrating correct procedures.