Cook

Job Title:  Cook

Location:  Millersburg, Ohio

Reports To:  Executive Chef

Status:  Non-Exempt

Job Summary:

Cooks are responsible for delivering food that is not only delicious and cooked to the specifications of the customer but that is safe and fresh as well. 

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• None.

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Ensure ingredients and final products are fresh
• Follow recipes, including measuring, weighing and mixing ingredients
• Bake, grill, steam and boil meats, vegetables, fish, poultry and other foods
• Present, garnish and arrange final dishes
• Occasionally serve food
• Maintain a clean and safe work area, including handling utensils, equipment and dishes
• Handle and store ingredients and food
• Maintain food safety and sanitation standards
• Clean and sanitize work areas, equipment and utensils
• Execute opening and closing procedures
• Set up workstations with required ingredients and equipment
• Check the quality and freshness of ingredients
• Monitor station inventory levels
• Accommodate guests’ special requests
• Operate kitchen equipment such as broilers, ovens, grills and fryers

Required Skills/Abilities: 

• Knowledge of safety procedures, including safe temperatures at which ingredients must be kept and to which food must be prepared to avoid foodborne illness
• Ability to work as part of a team, collaborating on complex dishes
• Interpersonal skills to interact with a variety of other people, such as waitstaff, dishwashers, management and sometimes customers
• Calm demeanor to work in a high-stress, fast-paced environment 
• Accountability for the dishes they prepare measuring up to the expectations of management and customers alike
• Comprehension and organization to follow direct orders and recipes and to correctly prepare dishes to the standards of the restaurant
• Manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination to handle tools, such as knife techniques for chopping, slicing, cutting and dicing
• Ability to stand in one place for hours at a time, handle extreme heat and work shifts

Physical Requirements: 

• Prolonged periods walking or standing.
• Must be able to lift, carry, and place up to 60 pounds at a time. 
• Must be able to work days, nights, weekends, and/or holidays as needed.
• Must be able to bend, stoop, and wipe frequently.  
• Must frequently immerse hands in water.
• Must be able to work in a hot and damp environment. 
• Prolonged periods of standing and working in a kitchen.
• Exposure to extreme heat, steam, and cold present in a kitchen environment.
• Manual dexterity to cut and chop foods and perform other related tasks.

Qualifications:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  The requirements listed below are representative for the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Language Ability:

Ability to read, analyze and interpret common instructions, lists, and safety guidance.  

Math Ability:

Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole number, common fractions and decimals.  

Reasoning Ability:

Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.  Ability to interpret and variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram or schedule form. 

Education and Experience:

• High school or vocational school coursework in kitchen basics such as food safety, preferred.
• Prior related experience preferred. 

Knowledge, Skills and Other Abilities:

• Time management
• Oral communication skills
• Written communication skills
• Professionalism
• Presentation skills
• Technical communication skills
• Interpersonal relations
• Customer relations
• Diplomacy
• Organization
• Conflict Resolution Skills