Assistant Cook

Job Overview:
We are seeking a dedicated and detail-oriented Assistant Cook to support our culinary team. The Assistant Cook supports daily kitchen operations at our South Philadelphia campus. The role prepares ingredients, cooks assigned items, serves meals for students and staff, and maintains strict sanitation standards. The Assistant Cook works independently for parts of the day and leads the kitchen when the Head Chef is off-site. The work takes place in a school setting with children and teens, so you must maintain a professional, calm, and respectful presence at all times.

Title: Assistant Cook
Reports to: Head Chef
Salaried: No
Management: No
Exempt: No

Duties and Key Responsibilities:

Food Preparation and Cooking

• Prepare ingredients and produce assigned menu items.
• Cook with standardized recipes or work independently when needed.
• Follow all food safety, temperature, and storage rules.

Inventory and Supplies

• Receive deliveries and store ingredients correctly.
• Track inventory and report supply needs.

Sanitation and Cleanliness

• Keep all kitchen areas clean and organized during and after service.
• Wash dishes and clean equipment, surfaces, and floors.
• Maintain equipment and workstations in proper condition.

Daily Operations

• Support daily setup and closing routines.
• Work independently with minimal direction and lead shifts when assigned.
• Maintain a calm, professional presence around students and staff.
• Arrive on time for all scheduled shifts.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Minimum five (5) years of paid professional experience in a commercial kitchen, culinary, or food-service environment.
• Strong cooking and food preparation skills, including demonstrated ability to cook from scratch and prepare food for high-volume service.
• Strong working knowledge of food safety, sanitation, safe food-handling practices, temperature control, and proper food storage.
• Demonstrated knowledge of common food allergens and procedures for preventing allergen cross-contact during food preparation, cooking, storage, and service.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, take initiative, and lead kitchen operations or a shift when the Head Chef is off-site.
• Strong customer service and interpersonal skills, with the ability to interact professionally and respectfully with students, staff, faculty, families, and guests.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively as part of a collaborative, team-oriented kitchen environment and to assist wherever needed to support daily operations.
• Reliable attendance, strong punctuality, and the ability to work effectively in a fast-paced kitchen environment.
• Ability to maintain a clean, organized, and sanitary work area while managing multiple tasks and priorities.
• Must pass federal and state background checks, child abuse clearances, drug screening, and required school-related checks.
• Ability to stand, walk, bend, lift, and move throughout the shift and safely handle food, supplies, equipment, and other kitchen materials.

Preferred Qualifications

• ServSafe certification or other recognized food-safety certification.
• Previous experience working in a school, residential, institutional, or other environment serving children or adolescents.
• High school diploma or equivalent.

Schedule and Compensation

• Hourly at $16.00 to $17.50 based on experience and demonstrated kitchen skills.
• Seasonal full-time. Not a 52-week position.
• This role follows the School’s operating calendar and includes a scheduled unpaid break period of approximately six weeks each year.
• This role receives hourly pay for hours worked. Holiday pay is not available.
• Sick time accrues at one hour per 40 hours worked per Philadelphia statute.
• This role typically works daytime and afternoon hours on weekdays and a Saturday shift. The schedule may adjust when class schedules or program needs change.

This role is ideal for individuals passionate about culinary arts who are eager to grow their skills within a professional setting. The Assistant Cook will play an integral part in delivering high-quality dining experiences while adhering to safety and quality standards.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The Rock School for Dance Education is committed to recruiting and fostering a diverse community of staff and students and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. The School prohibits discrimination based on an individual's age, ancestry, citizenship, color, creed, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected by applicable federal, state or local law. BIPOC individuals, LGBTQ+ individuals, and members of other historically disenfranchised and marginalized populations are strongly encouraged to apply.

About The Rock School

Our Mission

The Rock School develops the whole dancer, enabling students to reach the highest standards of technique and artistry in a nurturing, supportive environment that elevates the art form, the dancer, and the audience.

The Rock School for Dance Education is one of the world’s finest pre-professional training institutions. Dancers from around the globe have looked to The School for its world-class pre-professional program, featuring exceptional faculty, individual attention, and a nurturing environment. The School’s alums have exemplified this success for over 60 years.

Graduates have ascended the ranks of premier dance companies worldwide and on Broadway and London’s West End. Rock students continue to receive top honors in the Prix de Lausanne, Youth America Grand Prix, USA International Ballet Competition, Moscow International Ballet Competition, and Berlin Tanzolymp. The faculty includes distinguished dancers, instructors, and choreographers. Today, The Rock School is proud to award annual scholarships of more than $1.2 million.

American and international boarding students find an inviting, comfortable, and safe home living at The Marine Club dormitory across from The Rock’s South Philadelphia location. These resident and commuter students receive dance training and college preparatory academic education as part of their Rock School experience. The Rock-West Chester location serves the region’s suburban Mainline communities from West Chester, PA. The two locations collaborate, sharing a unified curriculum, faculty, and joint competition and stage performances. The Rock School operates on a $5.9 million annual budget.

Our Commitment to the Community

RockReach has engaged K-12 participants from underfunded communities, including Title 1, public, private, and charter schools with few or no art education offerings in Philadelphia and Delaware counties for 22 years. RockReach participants include special needs students and Individualized Education Programs, including students who are non-verbal, have Autism Spectrum Disorder, have mobility impairments, and are blind or low-sight. RockReach enriches these students’ education experience through professional teaching artists who work closely with classroom teachers to understand students' unique needs and encourage them to explore movement and music in new ways. Structured programs are generally offered for 32 or more weeks each year to every student in a single grade in ten partner schools. Upwards of 3,800 students experience The Rock School’s Classic Nutcracker for free each year through live and virtual presentations. The City Dance program moves RockReach students with interest and aptitude for more formal dance study into the school’s professional programming on scholarship. The RockReach program operates on a $180k annual budget.

Our History

The Rock School for Dance Education is one of the world’s finest pre-professional training institutions. Alums have received employment as leading dancers with the world’s top dance companies for 60 years.

George Balanchine and Barbara Weisberger established the School of Pennsylvania Ballet in 1963. For the first three decades, the school gained momentum and success as a part of the Pennsylvania Ballet. The institutions separated in 1992 owing to a significant gift from philanthropist and community leader Dr. Milton Rock. Dr. Rock gave the growing school ownership of the Rock Center at 1101 S. Broad Street and a new name, The Shirley Rock School of Pennsylvania Ballet (1986 - 1992). The school was incorporated on November 17, 1992, and received its nonprofit status in 1993, embarking on its journey to world acclaim as The Rock School for Dance Education led by Bojan Spassoff.

Today, The Rock School operates on a $6 million annual budget with facilities that include The Rock-Philadelphia and a suburban satellite school, The Rock-West Chester. Boarding students find a comfortable home at The Marine Club across from The Rock Center, and many receive both dance and college preparatory academic education at The Rock School.

Graduates have ascended the ranks of premier dance companies worldwide and on Broadway and London’s West End. Rock students continue to receive top honors in the Prix de Lausanne, Youth America Grand Prix, World Ballet Competitions, USA International Ballet Competition, Moscow IBC, and Berlin Tanzolymp. The faculty includes distinguished dancers, instructors, and choreographers serving over 1,200 students. Today, The Rock School is proud to award over $1.2 million in annual scholarships.

Peter Stark succeeded long-time President and Director Bojan Spassoff in 2022, setting the stage for a new era of exceptional dance education.

Pay: $16.00 - $17.50 per hour

Work Location: In person