Full-Time Cook

 Are you ready to join an organization where you can make an extraordinary impact by helping to conquer addiction one patient and family at a time?

 Valley Hope of Norton is hiring a Full-Time Cook to join our team and our mission of changing lives. Valley Hope offers competitive wages, benefits, and meaningful, life-saving work.

JOB FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES: The following sets forth the primary responsibilities of this job, but is not an exhaustive list. The Organization, through its managers and supervisors, reserves the right to assign any additional duties necessary to meet the needs of our patients, partners and/or employees.

1. Cook ensures safe food handling protocol is maintained at all times within the kitchen and dining areas including safe hand hygiene, cross contamination and temperature checks are followed and ensure timely documentation as directed by lead cook or written instructions.
2. Prepares daily meals according to weekly menus/recipes or lead cook instruction. Properly increases or decreases recipes as needed for fluctuations in census.
3. Cook prepares daily meals and/or snacks according to Special Diet recipes as ordered by nursing department.
4. Serves food to patients, visitors and staff with a pleasant demeanor.
5. Cook stores food items according to established guidelines and or state regulations/guidelines.
6. Performs dishwashing for all items used in preparation and serving of meals.
7. Cook presents safety and hygiene instruction to any patients who are assigned to assist with dish or clean up duties to ensure safe kitchen environment and safe dish sanitization methods are followed.
8. Performs cleaning/sanitizing tasks as outlined on the shift/daily/weekly/monthly cleaning schedules, which may include sinks, counters, ovens, stovetops, grill, fryer, serving line, salad bar, and other equipment and appliances.
9. Cook follows safety guidelines when using appliances, utensils and other commercial kitchen equipment.
10. Reports safety hazards to management.
11. Cook removes trash, boxes or other materials such as used grease to appropriate containers in a timeframe that ensures staff safety and proper food handling protocol.
12. Adheres to Valley Hope’s philosophies, policies, and procedures as well as any other regulating bodies.
13. Participates in all assigned staff meetings, staff development, and training as required.
14. Interacts and communicates with others (patients, co-workers, management, clients, and vendors) in a professional and tactful manner including treating them with respect and consideration regardless of their status or position.

 SKILLS & ABILITIES: The following is intended to give an overview of the requirements of the position, but is not an exhaustive list.
• Strong knowledge of proper food handling procedures.
• Able to read and follow standardized recipes.
• Effective oral, written and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to prioritize competing demands and effectively manage multiple tasks and/or projects while being responsive and flexible.
• Demonstrated attention to detail and ability to ensure accuracy while working in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated ability to work with and maintain sensitive and confidential information.
• Self-directed and motivated; able to meet established timelines.
• Ability to work in a team environment and take direction.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: The following is intended to give and overview of the work environment of the position, but is not an exhaustive list.
• Residential and/or outpatient treatment facility setting; requires walking throughout the facility and may require unloading of food/stock in temperature extremes.
• Able to work non-typical hours, which could include early mornings, evenings, weekends and holidays; able to work overtime to the extent necessary.
• Able to stand for lengthy periods and to walk including up or down steps or stairs as needed.
• Able to push, pull, pull up, bend at the knees and waist, twist body at the waist, raise and hold arms overhead, kneel, squat, crawl, turn head-neck-shoulders as needed, grasp other items with hands, for either extended periods of time or many times throughout the workday.
• Able to reach, move, grasp, handle, control and maintain with one or both hands in order to operate standard kitchen prep and cooking utensils according to manufacturer instruction.
• Able to lift and carry at least 25 pounds.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
Required: minimum amounts of education or experience required to qualify for the job. 
• One (1) year job or training experience in dietary setting. 
Preferred: desired qualifications of a candidate for the job 
• College credit or specialized training in food preparation. 
• Three (3) years of cooking experience.

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