Food Service Worker

Department of Veterans Affairs•Charleston, SC

51d

About The Position

Food Service Workers (FSW) follow set procedures in accomplishing repetitive assignments and follow an established sequence of work. FSW can do all the duties of a lower grade worker. FSW can work in one or more functional areas of the kitchen such as food preparation, dish and pot washing, dry and refrigerated storage and receiving, and the serving area doing work such as portioning cold food, dipping hot food, working in the dish room and passing trays.

Responsibilities

Set up assigned station on the tray line with the correct supplies and food items
Break down and clean the station when assigned
Return soiled trays and dishes to the dish room
Deliver meal trays to the patients' bedsides and report the patients' comments and complaints to the supervisor or dietitian
Prepare beverages according to the number of servings required
Prepare fresh fruit/cold salads/dressings/sandwich fillings and cold sandwiches and simple cold desserts in specified quantities
Sort, wash, peel and cut cold foods using knives or other equipment
Provide assistance to cooks in the food preparation area, such as weigh, measure and assemble ingredients according to standardized recipes
Prepare uncooked food items, such as sandwich spread and salad dressings
Operate and break down and clean all equipment assigned to food service and related areas
Portion other food items into standard serving sizes using the proper utensils and specified dishware
Prepare boxed/to go meals
Verify that food items on the tray are appropriate for the prescribed diet
Identify obvious discrepancies between the prescribed diets and the food items designated by the menu
Decide what food items to serve for the most common diets when the diet card or tray ticket identifies only the kind of diet called for
Distributes menus and surveys to patients
Provide patients with basic information about modified diets and the nutrition services that are available
Prepare individual and bulk nourishments and supplemental foods and beverages for patients
Follow directions in assembling, measuring, weighing, or mixing ingredients for basic formulas and supplemental feedings following standardized recipes and using sanitary techniques
Determine the quantities of ingredients needed to prepare required yield
Take nourishment inventories, stocking using first in-first out procedures, replacing expired items
Label and distribute individual nourishments
Sterilize equipment and sanitize work areas
Work in one or more functional areas of the kitchen such as food preparation, dish and pot washing, dry and refrigerated storage and receiving, and the serving line
Perform heavy-duty cleaning tasks throughout the food service and related areas
Separate food waste and trash from dishes, glasses and silverware in the dish washing area
Unload food/tray delivery carts
Store sanitized dishes, glasses and silverware
Scrape, soak, scour, and scrub cookware and utensils
Move garbage cans when collecting and transferring trash from the work area to the disposal area
Provide assistance to cooks in the food preparation area including assembling, labeling and arranging completed recipe items in preparation for use by cooks.
Use a computer terminal to record and retrieve recipe, menu and inventory data and to produce reports
Other duties as assigned to meet the needs of the Medical Center