Associate Cook — Fast-Paced, High-Volume Kitchen

Thistle; Burlington (NJ); On-site; USD 21,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

Thistle, a health-forward meal company, is seeking an Associate, Cook in Burlington, NJ to execute daily production on the kitchen floor within a high-volume environment. You will follow standardized recipes, support culinary leadership, and operate commercial equipment to assemble meals efficiently.

Responsibilities include maintaining GMPs and food safety, documenting logs, and collaborating with cross-functional teams.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Minimum of 2+ years in a large-scale, high-volume kitchen.
• Experience with batch cooking in a professional food production environment.
• Knowledge of HACCP principles and food safety; ServSafe certification preferred.
• Ability to read, follow and execute recipes with precision.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Proficiency across key culinary production functions, including Prep, Blixer, Hotline, and Staging.
• Strong communication and cross-functional relationship-building skills.

Responsibilities

• Execute daily production activities in line with recipes and schedules.
• Support leadership in maintaining quality, food safety, and efficiency.
• Operate kitchen equipment (ovens, combi-ovens, tilt skillets, blixers, mixers, etc.).
• Identify equipment issues and report to leadership to keep production running.
• Maintain GMPs, food safety standards, and company policies.
• Organize workstations with ingredients and tools for efficient flow.
• Document temperature logs, batch records, sanitation logs, and cleaning logs.
• Maintain FIFO/FEFO inventory and accurate labeling/traceability.
• Ensure sanitation standards with proper cleaning supplies and hygiene.
• Stay updated on safety policies and SOPs; assist with new procedures.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to maintain standards.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Skills

High-volume kitchen experience

Batch cooking

Reading recipes

Strong communication

Independent worker

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Job description

Thistle, a health-forward meal company, is seeking an Associate, Cook in Burlington, NJ to execute daily production on the kitchen floor within a high-volume environment. You will follow standardized recipes, support culinary leadership, and operate commercial equipment to assemble meals efficiently.

Responsibilities include maintaining GMPs and food safety, documenting logs, and collaborating with cross-functional teams.