12 HR-Cook

Cumberland County; Fayetteville (NC); On-site; USD 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Cumberland County is seeking a Cook for the Detention Center to prepare, cook and serve meals for inmates and staff under supervision. You will follow approved menus, ensure food safety, and oversee inmate worker helpers to maintain standards.

The role requires preparing meals from scratch, managing inventories, and planning ahead to minimize waste while adhering to dietary restrictions and health regulations. Work is performed at the Detention Center kitchen under the Sheriff's Office.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED preferred; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience in food preparation and management is desirable and relevant.

Responsibilities

• Prepares, cooks and serves food for inmates and staff following approved menus/receipts.
• Directs the work of less experienced cooks and inmate workers to ensure proper food handling and sanitation.
• Maintains sanitation of kitchen equipment, dishes, pots, pans, utensils, storage areas and staff dining room.
• Prepares special diet foods based on health-related issues, allergies, or religious restrictions and marks trays accordingly.
• Performs daily inventory, receives supplies and assists in meal planning to minimize waste and cost.

Education

High school diploma or GED preferred

1 year of experience in food preparation and management

Job description

Under general supervision, the purpose of the position is to prepare, cook and serve food at the County Detention Center. Work is performed under the direction of the Cook Supervisor or Food Service Manager and by the Chief Jailer or his designee.

• Performs preparatory work and cooks' food for inmates and staff following approved menus/receipts.
• Ensures proper food handling practices are followed according to sanitation procedures. Prepares food from scratch, cooking to proper appearance, seasoning, and taste while following recipe directions.
• Prepares food in advance to ensure prompt service: bowling of breakfast cereals, thawing of foodstuffs for future use and/or pre-cooking of meal items.
• Directs the work of less experienced cooks and inmate workers to ensure that work is performed in accordance with proper food handling and sanitation procedures.
• Serves food to inmates assuring that adequate portions are provided.
• Cleans and maintains proper sanitation for the kitchen equipment, dishes, pots, pans and utensils; storage areas; and staff dining room.
• Prepares and cooks special diet foods based on health-related issues, food allergies, or religious restrictions of individual inmates.
• Ensures special diet trays are marked for the inmate concerned and delivered to correct locations.
• Performs daily inventory counts, receives supplies from vendors and stores properly. Assists in planning for future meals, considering availability of leftover food to avoid unnecessary cost, and performs related work as required.

High school diploma or General Educational Development preferred and one year of experience involving food preparation and management; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Working knowledge of the methods, procedures and policies of the Detention Center and of the Sheriff's Office as such pertains to the performance of the essential duties of Cook; principles and practices of preparing, cooking and serving food; laws, ordinances, standards, and regulations pertaining to the essential duties and responsibilities of the position; occupational hazards and safety precautions required to perform duties; and operational organization of the Detention Center and of the Sheriff's Office. Ability to adapt to continuously changing situations as they occur; exhibit an enthusiastic, self-reliant and self-starting approach to meet job responsibilities; anticipate work that needs to be accomplished and must be self-motivated; to be efficient in time-management while preparing meals; work independently with minimum supervision; attend various training seminars to maintain current knowledge of concepts, operations, trends, re-certifications, and future developments in food service; maintain a work environment which is orderly, safe and secure; and to establish and maintain cooperative and effective working relationships. Employees are responsible for cost control of all supplies brought into the kitchen. Knowledge of State and Local Health Regulations and Laws and OSHA regulations on food services.