Residents First

For our residents, a meal is one of the best parts of the day. As a Cook, you will:

• Cook with residents in mind. Menus are nutritious, familiar and appealing, and you take pride in how each plate looks and tastes.
• Honor choice and individuality. You respect residents' preferences, and you prepare special diets and texture-modified meals with the same care as every other plate.
• Protect dignity. Pureed and soft meals should look like real food, and every resident should enjoy a meal the way they like it.
• Support memory care dining. You learn and follow our approaches for residents with cognitive impairment.
• Notice and speak up. If a resident's appetite or dining needs change, you tell the Culinary Director so the care team can respond.
• Lift up your team. You help team members learn, treat everyone with respect and keep a positive attitude in the kitchen.

About the role

Our Cooks are the heart of the culinary team. You will prepare and serve safe, nutritious and appealing meals for residents in our assisted living and memory care neighborhoods, following the menu, recipes and each resident's dietary orders. You will work under the direction of the Culinary Director and alongside team members, and you will play an important part in resident nutrition, satisfaction and safety.

What you will do

• Prepare and cook breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks from the menu and standardized recipes, on time and at the right quality.
• Prepare regular, texture-modified and therapeutic diets, including pureed and mechanical soft meals, following physician orders and residents' care plans.
• Check tray tickets and diet orders for accuracy, including allergies, before food goes out.
• Present and portion food so it looks appetizing and meets serving standards.
• Observe and report changes in a resident's appetite or dining needs to the Culinary Director.
• Follow food safety standards: handwashing, cooking, holding and cooling temperatures, and allergen and cross-contamination control.
• Complete cleaning and temperature logs before the end of your shift.
• Label, date and rotate food (FIFO) to keep it safe and reduce waste, and help receive and store deliveries.
• Keep the kitchen, equipment and storage areas clean and sanitary, and ready for health inspections.
• Guide and work with your team members, and help train new team members.
• Report emergency equipment or maintenance issues by phone to the Executive Director or Culinary Director.
• Arrive on time and avoid overtime unless approved.

Required

• Safe Serv Certification, Manager Certification preferred.
• Comply with policies and procedures as well as the State of Texas rules and regulations.
• A genuine desire to work with seniors in an environment that upholds their privacy, dignity, choice, independence and individuality.
• Experience cooking in a kitchen, such as restaurant, healthcare, senior living or hospitality. [1 year preferred]
• Ability to follow recipes, menus and diet orders accurately, and to manage your time on assigned tasks with minimal supervision.
• Ability to work well with others.
• A cheerful, positive attitude and a willingness to learn.
• Ability to read, write and communicate with residents, families and coworkers.
• Well-groomed, and willing to follow dress and food-service hygiene requirements.
• 18 years of age or older, a background check, and reliable transportation.
• Fully present on shift: personal cell phones are for breaks only.

Preferred, but not required

• Experience cooking in senior living or healthcare, including texture-modified and therapeutic diets.
• High school diploma or GED.
• Culinary training.

Working conditions

• Ability to work under pressure.
• Regularly stand, walk, bend, reach and use your hands.
• Lift, carry, push and pull up to 50 pounds or more.
• Frequent exposure to wet or humid conditions, heat from kitchen equipment and cleaning chemicals.