Associate, Cook – High-Volume Production Kitchen

Thistle Health; Burlington (NJ); On-site; USD 24,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

Thistle Health in Burlington, NJ is seeking an Associate, Cook to join our high-volume kitchen team. Reporting to the Culinary Supervisor, you will execute daily production activities, follow standardized recipes, and help assemble meals while upholding food safety standards and GMPs.

The role requires a high school diploma and at least two years in a large-scale kitchen, batch cooking experience, and strong communication. ServSafe preferred.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent is required.
• Minimum of 2+ years of experience in a large-scale, high-volume kitchen environment.
• Experience with batch cooking in a professional food production environment.
• Experience in high-volume food production, preferably within a catering operation, large foodservice facility, hospital, event center, or food manufacturing environment.
• Knowledge of HACCP principles and food safety and sanitation standards; ServSafe certification preferred.
• Ability to read, follow, and execute recipes with strict adherence to specifications and quality standards.
• Demonstrated ability to perform food preparation and production tasks independently with minimal supervision.
• Proficiency across key culinary production functions, including Prep, Blixer, Hotline, and Staging.
• Strong communication skills to maintain consistent standards of quality and performance.
• Ability to build effective working relationships with cross-functional teams.
• Ability to adhere to company SOPs and implement new operational initiatives as needed.

Responsibilities

• Execute daily food preparation and production activities in alignment with standardized recipes, production schedules, and kitchen management guidelines.
• Support culinary leadership in maintaining high standards of quality, food safety, and operational efficiency across all production areas.
• Operate and maintain commercial kitchen equipment, including ovens, combi-ovens, tilt skillets, steam-jacketed kettles, blixers, stand mixers, immersion blenders, food processors, and similar production equipment.
• Identify and escalation equipment malfunctions or operational issues to culinary leadership to ensure safe and uninterrupted production.
• Maintain compliance with GMPs, food safety regulations, and company policies at all times.
• Prepare and organize workstations with the appropriate ingredients, tools, and equipment to support efficient production flow.
• Monitor and document key production and safety metrics, including temperature logs, batch records, sanitation logs, equipment cleaning logs, and other required operational documentation.
• Ensure adherence to food safety and storage standards, including allergen management, FIFO, and FEFO inventory practices.
• Maintain accurate labeling and traceability of meal components, including quantities, production dates, and meal codes.
• Ensure sanitation standards are consistently met by maintaining cleaning solutions, sanitation buckets, and proper workstation hygiene throughout production.
• Stay current on safety policies, operational updates, and new procedures to support successful implementation on the production floor.
• Collaborate effectively with cross-functional team members to maintain consistent production standards and operational performance.
• Perform additional duties as assigned to support overall kitchen and production operations.

Skills

Batch cooking

Food safety

Communication

Recipe adherence

HACCP knowledge

Education

High School diploma or equivalent

Tools

Commercial kitchen equipment

Job description

Thistle Health in Burlington, NJ is seeking an Associate, Cook to join our high-volume kitchen team. Reporting to the Culinary Supervisor, you will execute daily production activities, follow standardized recipes, and help assemble meals while upholding food safety standards and GMPs.

The role requires a high school diploma and at least two years in a large-scale kitchen, batch cooking experience, and strong communication. ServSafe preferred.