Kitchen Assistant - Partial Year

Rhode Island School of Design•Providence, RI

About The Position

The Kitchen Assistant is a floating production and service support role within Dining. The position supports back-of-house operations through ingredient preparation, cleanliness and organization of production and storage spaces, and general kitchen activities. It is also customer- and student-facing, with assignments that may include kitchen production, service stations or buffet lines, the pizza station, salad bar, commissary, and grill. The Kitchen Assistant prepares ingredients and items for commissary and catering, sets up and maintains service areas, assists with dishroom and pot-area work, and restocks kitchen stations. The role provides professional customer service, follows food-safety and sanitation procedures, maintains organized storage areas, and may provide coverage across dining operations or assist with deliveries. Dining and catering staff are considered essential personnel and are required to attend work even when the school is closed.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent.
Knowledge of kitchen sanitation and safety guidelines.
Ability to produce desired results in a very busy kitchen environment.
Ability to follow recipes and instructions.
Effective oral and written communication skills.
Basic math skills.
Good organizational skills and ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively in a team.

Nice To Haves

Prior food-service experience is preferred.
Valid driver's license is preferred.
Multilingual ability is preferred.

Responsibilities

Gather mise en place; clean, weigh, measure, and prepare ingredients for production.
Prepare items for commissary and catering as assigned.
Set up, maintain, and break down bakery, pizza, salad bar, entrée station, and serving-line areas according to checklists and standardized recipes.
Assist in the pot area and dishroom, put away clean equipment, sweep and mop floors, and remove trash and compost from production areas to designated locations.
Assist the receiver with unloading and putting away deliveries.
Restock kitchen stations with utensils, plates, equipment, ingredients, and cooking supplies.
Serve customers and students on service lines professionally, following portion sizes and venue service logistics.
Assist in bake shop, catering, commissary, or front-of-house operations as assigned.
Follow health-code procedures, including temperature management, personal hygiene, food safety, and sanitation.
Maintain cleanliness of storerooms, refrigerators, freezers, cooking areas, baking areas, and equipment.
Use gloves, cut gloves, and other protective gear as needed.
Rotate food and dry ingredients in refrigerators, coolers, and dry storage according to FIFO.
Respond promptly and accurately to customer inquiries and requests, interacting in a friendly, attentive, and professional manner.
Maintain order and organization in food and dry storage areas and notify the supervisor about low-stock items.
Contribute to a team-oriented workplace and support an environment where people of all identities, perspectives, and circumstances are treated with respect, fairness, and dignity.
Participate in training focused on developing skills for working relationships across diverse groups.
Assist with deliveries as needed and provide coverage across dining operations.
Perform other duties as directed.
Attend work when the school is closed, as required of dining and catering staff.