Prep Cook
About The Position
Citarella is seeking dependable, motivated Prep Cooks to join our culinary production team. In this role, you will assist with preparing high-quality, chef-prepared foods for distribution to our retail locations while maintaining Citarella's standards for freshness, consistency, and food safety. The ideal candidate has previous experience in a professional kitchen, a solid understanding of basic food preparation techniques, and the ability to follow established recipes and instructions. Whether you're continuing to develop your culinary skills or bringing experience from a high-volume kitchen, you'll have the opportunity to contribute to a fast-paced, team-oriented production environment.
Requirements
- Previous experience in a professional kitchen, restaurant, catering operation, or food production environment.
- Basic to intermediate knife skills and knowledge of food preparation techniques.
- Ability to follow recipes, measure ingredients accurately, and maintain consistent food quality.
- Familiarity with proper food handling, sanitation, and kitchen safety practices.
- Ability to work efficiently in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.
- Strong attention to detail, organization, and time management.
- Ability to follow instructions, take direction, and work effectively as part of a team.
- Dependable, punctual, and committed to maintaining high standards of food quality and safety.
Nice To Haves
- Experience in high-volume kitchens, catering, commissary operations, or large-scale food production.
- Experience preparing food in large batches while maintaining consistency and portion control.
- Proficiency with commercial kitchen equipment and various cooking techniques.
- Ability to independently execute recipes and complete assigned production tasks.
- Bilingual communication skills in English and Spanish are a plus.
Responsibilities
- Prepare meats, seafood, vegetables, and other ingredients according to established recipes, production schedules, and chef instructions.
- Wash, peel, chop, slice, dice, portion, and organize ingredients for daily food production.
- Accurately weigh and measure ingredients to maintain consistency in recipes and portion sizes.
- Assist with cooking and preparing a variety of dishes according to established recipes and production standards.
- Support large-batch food preparation to meet daily production requirements for Citarella's retail locations.
- Properly label, date, store, and rotate ingredients and prepared food products.
- Maintain clean, organized, and sanitized workstations, utensils, and kitchen equipment.
- Follow all applicable food safety, sanitation, temperature-control, and workplace safety procedures.
- Safely operate kitchen equipment and report equipment issues or safety concerns to management.
- Communicate effectively with chefs, supervisors, and team members to meet daily production deadlines.
- Minimize food waste through proper ingredient handling, portioning, and storage.
- Perform additional kitchen preparation and production duties as assigned.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
Education Level
High school or GED
