COOK

Minnie Hamilton Health System

Job Description – Dietary Cook

Department: Dietary

Reports To: Dietary Manager

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

Position Summary

Provides leadership and operational support for the Dietary Cook role in alignment with MHHS policies, regulatory requirements, and organizational goals.

Essential Functions

• Prepare and cook meals for patients, residents, employees, and visitors in accordance with approved menus, standardized recipes, portion standards, and meal schedules.
• Accurately prepare regular, modified, and therapeutic diets as directed, including texture modifications and diet restrictions, to support patient safety and clinical nutrition goals.
• Review production sheets, diet lists, and meal changes to ensure timely, accurate meal preparation and appropriate substitutions when needed.
• Maintain high standards of food quality, taste, appearance, and temperature while ensuring meals are served safely and on time.
• Follow all food safety, sanitation, infection prevention, and hazard communication practices, including proper hand hygiene, labeling, dating, storage, and temperature monitoring.
• Clean and sanitize kitchen equipment, workstations, utensils, storage areas, and food preparation surfaces according to departmental cleaning schedules and regulatory standards.
• Assist with tray line, meal assembly, and service functions to help ensure patient trays are accurate, complete, and consistent with prescribed diets.
• Monitor inventory levels, rotate stock, use products efficiently, and report supply needs or shortages to support uninterrupted dietary operations in a rural hospital setting.
• Communicate effectively with dietary staff, nursing staff, and leadership regarding patient diet changes, food concerns, special requests, and operational needs.
• Support efficient department operations by assisting with catering, special meals, dishwashing, storage tasks, and other assigned duties as needed.

Qualifications

• Relevant education, licensure, or experience required.
• Strong communication and organizational skills.

Physical, Environmental, and Work Conditions

• Requires prolonged standing and walking throughout the shift, including movement between food preparation, storage, dishwashing, and serving areas.
• Frequent bending, stooping, crouching, reaching, twisting, pushing, and pulling are required to prepare food, retrieve supplies, load and unload equipment, and clean work areas.
• Must be able to lift, carry, and move food products, cookware, dish racks, and supply items, typically up to 25 pounds regularly and heavier items with assistance or appropriate equipment.
• Requires manual dexterity and repetitive use of hands and arms for chopping, stirring, portioning, tray assembly, cleaning, and operating kitchen equipment.
• Must be able to safely operate in a fast-paced kitchen environment with exposure to hot surfaces, steam, sharp utensils, wet floors, refrigeration areas, and cleaning chemicals.
• Must be able to perform assigned duties with or without reasonable accommodation and maintain regular attendance to support meal service operations.

DISCLAIMER

This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Duties may change at any time. Reasonable accommodation may be made.