Cook (Sunnyside)

Region of Waterloo; Kitchener; On-site; CAD 39,000 - 41,000; Part time

Job summary

Sunnyside Home, part of the Region of Waterloo, is hiring a part-time cook to prepare nutritious meals for residents and staff in a long-term care setting.

You will follow standardized recipes, manage production schedules, and adapt meals for therapeutic diets while maintaining high safety and sanitation standards.

Join a compassionate team that values dignity, collaboration, and person-centred care, with opportunities to contribute to menu planning and resident well-being.

Qualifications

• College diploma in food preparation or equivalent with Red Seal Cook preferred.
• Current Safe Food Handling Certificate is required.
• Ability to work shifts including weekends and statutory holidays.

Responsibilities

• Prepares, portions, and presents meals and snacks for residents, staff, and events.
• Follows recipes and production sheets; plans defrosting and supply requisitions.
• Prepares food for therapeutic diets and special preferences.
• Maintains clean, safe kitchen and equipment; stores and labels food.
• Assists with menu planning, ordering, and production meetings.
• Transports equipment and supports training of staff and volunteers.

Skills

Food safety

Time management

Teamwork

Resident communication

English proficiency

Education

College diploma in food preparation

Red Seal Cook certification

Job description

Job Number: 4998
Job Type: Part-Time
Vacancy Reason: Backfill
Location: 247 Franklin St N - Sunnyside Home
Number of Positions: 1
Division: Community Services
Hours of Work: 31 hours biweekly, 0600-1400
Work Schedule:

• Week 1: Sun, Thurs
• Week 2: Mon, Sat

Union: Unifor 1106
Grade: Unifor 1106 Grade 004
Salary Range: $28.64 - $30.08 per hour

Join the Team at Sunnyside Home

At Sunnyside Home, care is personal.

As the first long-term care home in Waterloo Region certified in The Butterfly Approach® , we are recognized for creating a warm, home-like environment where relationships, emotional well-being, and resident choice come first.

Here, you’ll be part of a compassionate and innovative team that is committed to meaningful connections, person-centred care, and making every day matter for residents and families.

If you’re looking for more than just a job, and want to be part of a workplace where kindness, collaboration, and dignity are at the heart of the work, we’d love to hear from you.

For more information about Sunnyside Home and our approach to care, visit: Person Centred Care, Region of Waterloo

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About the Region of Waterloo

The Region of Waterloo is a diverse and growing community committed to creating opportunities for current and future generations.

Waterloo Region is part of the Dish With One Spoon wampum, a treaty grounded in sharing, sustainability, and respect:

• Take only what we need
• Leave some for others
• Keep the dish clean

These principles continue to guide our commitment to reconciliation, inclusion, and community well-being

The Role

Prepares nutritious, high-quality meals and snacks for residents and staff of Sunnyside Home and for other programs/services provided by the Division, in accordance with long-term health care standards, regulations, and safe food handling techniques.

Works as part of a multi-disciplinary team to create a caring, person-centred, homelike environment where residents feel listened to and cared about.

Duties/Responsibilities

• Prepares, portions, and presents meals and snacks to be served to residents, staff, volunteers, visitors, supportive living tenants, outreach participants, and at special events.
• Follows standardized recipes, menus, and production sheets to meet meal schedule requirements. Converts and adapts standard recipes to accommodate large quantity preparation. Prepares production estimates and quantity requirements, plans tasks such as defrosting meat, and requisitions for supplies from the storeroom according to menu requirements.
• Prepares food for therapeutic, texture modification (pureed, minced), and special preference diets.
• Portions food to be distributed to dining areas, cafeteria, and as part of outreach programs, special events, and catering functions.
• Organizes food preparation schedules to meet meal deadlines.
• Prepares food items for next day (e.g., roasting, panning, sandwich filling, cutting vegetables).
• Labels, dates, stores, and rotates food. Disposes unusable food and food recalled as unsafe for consumption.
• Checks and records equipment temperatures (e.g., walk-in/reach-in refrigerator, freezer) per requirements. Checks and records food temperatures and takes samples per requirements.
• Turns on equipment in the morning; turns off and checks condition at night (e.g., steamers, ovens, fans).
• Bakes desserts, snacks, and items for special functions as assigned.
• Maintains work area in a clean, orderly state. Sanitizes and stores chef knives.
• Operates and ensures kitchen appliances, equipment, and other items used in food preparation and preservation are used appropriately in safe, good working condition, and requests repairs as required. Reports safety issues/risks immediately and takes appropriate action.
• Acts as a resource and provides advice, guidance, and training to food services staff regarding food production procedures (portion size, proper utensils to use, preparation techniques).
• Receives calls and takes messages for management in their absence or as delegated. Passes information on to appropriate dietary staff as required and acts on emergency therapeutic dietary requests or other requests from resident care and program staff, including re-directing work tasks to food services staff.
• Has contact with residents, their families and visitors, tenants, and program participants regarding meal requirements and for input/feedback. Has occasional contact with suppliers to relay supply orders.
• Participates in menu planning and production meetings with supervisor and food production coordinator. Provides input into food order guides and daily menu offerings based on experience and operational considerations and to improve work procedures.
• Transports equipment (e.g., steam tables) to areas throughout Home.
• Keeps knowledge current through in-service training and communications. Demonstrates/explains work procedures to help train volunteers and/or new staff as directed.
• Assists with internal audits/quality inspections as assigned.
• Locks kitchen.
• Performs related duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of safety and sanitation in food handling and equipment use, normally acquired through a college diploma in food preparation, culinary skills, or equivalent field, certification as a Red Seal Cook, plus experience in large quantity food preparation in a health care or long-term care setting.
• Must hold a current Safe Food Handling Certificate.
• Understanding of therapeutic diets.
• Must have a tuberculosis (TB) test and required immunization(s).
• Knowledge of and ability to comply with policies, procedures, guidelines, and related legislation (e.g., privacy, health and safety).
• Ability to demonstrate compassion, validate emotions, support dignity, and promote understanding of those we serve.
• Ability to follow written and oral instructions in English.
• Ability to work independently.
• Time management skills to plan and prioritize tasks to meet meal schedules.
• Ability to make accurate calculations for portion sizes and number of dishes required.
• Communication and interpersonal skills to respond pleasantly and professionally to demands and interactions with other staff, residents, tenants, visitors, and families; demonstrate a customer care/service approach; and participate as an effective team member.
• Ability to read menus and menu modifications, recipes, temperature charts, policy and procedure manuals. Ability to complete reports and audits, supply requisitions, and food labels.
• Ability to work shifts, weekend hours, and statutory holidays as scheduled.
• Must provide an acceptable vulnerable sector police check.
• Ability to support and demonstrate the Region’s values.

Region of Waterloo is committed to building a workforce through fair, equitable, and accessible hiring practices that allow us to hire qualified staff who reflect the diversity of the community we serve and to promote a respectful, inclusive, and equitable workplace.

We invite all interested individuals to apply and actively encourage applications from members of groups with historical and/or current barriers to equity, including, but not limited to:

• First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples, and all other Indigenous peoples;
• members of groups that commonly experience discrimination due to race, ancestry, religion and/or spiritual beliefs, or place of origin;
• persons with visible and/or invisible (physical and/or mental) disabilities;
• persons who identify as women; and persons of marginalized sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions

For questions or to request accommodations during your recruitment, onboarding or employment, please contact [e-mail] , or by calling our Service First Contact Centre at phone number [phone].

Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Hiring Process: Region of Waterloo may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to enhance efficiency during the recruitment process. However, applications will also be reviewed by a member of our Talent Acquisition team to ensure a fair and thorough assessment. AI does not make final hiring decisions.

Candidates who are asked to obtain a Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC) as part of the due diligence process are required to do so in support of our obligations under the Long-Term Care Act and our commitment to maintaining a safe environment for residents. If police services are unable to process a VSC, candidates will then be asked to provide a Criminal Record & Judicial Matters Check ( CRJMC ) so that we can complete appropriate due diligence.

Please note: candidates will be provided an update on their application. Please check your spam or junk folder occasionally as some candidates have noticed our emails in those folders (Gmail and Hotmail in particular).