COOK

santacruzcountyca.gov; Santa Cruz (CA); On-site; USD 25,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

County of Santa Cruz is seeking a Cook for the Juvenile Hall to prepare, cook and serve nutritious meals for detained youth and staff. Under supervision, you will manage kitchen tasks, maintain utensils and safety protocols while adhering to state standards.

This extra-help, temporary position requires a flexible schedule including evenings, weekends, and holidays, and a valid California driver license with the ability to pass a background check.

Qualifications

• One year of experience cooking meals in a large institutional or commercial kitchen.
• License: California Class C Driver License (upon appointment) and background investigation.

Responsibilities

• Prepare, clean, cook and serve attractive and nutritious meals for detained youth and employees.
• Care for equipment, utensils, supplies and work areas.

Skills

1 year institutional kitchen cooking

Job description

INVITES YOU TO APPLY FOR:

Human Resources Department, 701 Ocean Street, Suite 510, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

THE JOB:

Under general supervision, the person in this position is responsible for preparing, cleaning up, cooking and serving attractive and nutritious meals for detained young people and employees of the County Juvenile Hall; caring for equipment, utensils, supplies and work areas; and performing other work as required. The current vacancies are for extra-help (temporary) employment. The list established from this recruitment will be used to fill the current vacancies and any future extra-help (temporary) vacancies during the life of the eligible list.

THE REQUIREMENTS:

Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain these knowledge and abilities would be:

One year of experience cooking meals in a large institutional or commercial kitchen.

Special Requirements/Conditions:

License Requirement: Possession of a valid California Class C Driver License (upon appointment). Background Investigation: Ability to pass a full background investigation.Special Working Conditions: Exposure to the possibility of burns and/or bodily injury; infections which might cause chronic disease or death; variable temperatures; electrical hazards; insect bites or stings; chemical irritants; high levels of noise; and potentially hostile detained young people. Other Special Working Requirements: Availability to work a flexible schedule, including evenings, weekends, holidays and on an emergency, as needed basis. Candidates working in juvenile detention facilities are subject to the State of

COOK

Closing Date: Friday, October 30, 2026

County of Santa Cruz

County Equity Statement

Equity in action in Santa Cruz County is a transformative process that embraces individuals of every status, providing unwavering support, dignity, and compassion.

Through this commitment, the County ensures intentional opportunities and access, fostering an environment where everyone can thrive and belong.

California Board of State and Community Corrections Title 15 – Minimum Standards for Juvenile Facilities

California Board of State and Community Corrections Title 15 – Minimum Standards for Juvenile Facilities and must pass a pre-employment medical evaluation and physical examination that meet the requirements of Title 15, Article 3.Knowledge: Working knowledge of methods and equipment used to care for, prepare, cook and serve food in an institutional setting or commercial kitchen; kitchen sanitation and safety measures; and operation, cleaning and care of utensils, equipment and work areas.

Ability to: Prepare, cook and serve a variety of attractive and nutritious meals for approximately 30 people;assure adequate food is prepared to feed the daily population; understand and follow recipes and written and oral instructions; keep simple records; work cooperatively with others; lift items weighing up to 60 pounds from floor level, such as boxes of produce; practice security measures; work alone for long periods; and stand and walk for long periods with intermittent breaks.

THE EXAMINATION:

Your application and supplemental questionnaire will be reviewed to determine if you have met the education, experience, training and/or licensing requirements as stated on the job announcement. If you meet these criteria and are one of the best qualified, you may be required to compete in any combination of written, oral and/or performance examinations or a competitive evaluation of training and experience as described on your application and supplemental questionnaire. You must pass all components of the examination to be placed on the eligible list. The examination may be eliminated if there are ten or fewer qualified applicants. If the eligible list is established without the administration of the announced examination, the life of the eligible list will be six months and your overall score will be based upon an evaluation of your application and supplemental questionnaire. If during those six months it is necessary to administer another examination for this job class, you will be invited to take the examination to remain on the eligible list.

The supplemental questions are designed specifically for this recruitment. Applications received without the required supplemental information will be screened out of the selection process. Employment experiences referred to in your response must also be included in the Employment History section of the application.NOTE: Please answer the question(s) below as completely and thoroughly as possible, as your answer(s) may be used to assess your qualifications for movement to the next step in the recruitment process.1. Describe your experience working as a cook in a fully staffed kitchen with other cooks. Please include any supervisory experience or training in the kitchen.2. Describe your experience cooking a variety of meals in an institutional or commercial kitchen. Please include:1) Employer name2) Type of meals prepared3) An average of how many meals you prepared daily

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS:

• This recruitment is for extra-help (temporary) employment that is of limited duration.
• Extra-help employees are used for employment on short-term projects;
• on a seasonal basis to meet recurrent work peaks;
• employment on an as-needed basis to meet peak workload, emergency, or other unusual situations.
• Extra-help employees cannot work more than 999 hours in a fiscal year and are covered by Social Security.

Note: Provisions of this bulletin do not constitute an expressed or implied contract.

County of Santa Cruz