Cook I

Christiana Care Health Services, Inc.; United States; On-site; USD 27,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Paid time off

Retirement benefits

Employee assistance program

Job summary

ChristianaCare is seeking a dedicated food service worker to prepare a wide variety of meals while ensuring attractiveness and compliance with recipes and health codes. You will greet patients and visitors, deliver quality service, and support a positive dining experience in a hospital setting.

The role requires reading recipes, basic math for portions, and effective communication with staff and patients. Shifts include mornings, evenings, with opportunities for additional hours and training.

Qualifications

• High school graduate or equivalent.
• Six months food service experience preferred.
• An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.

Responsibilities

• Prepare a wide variety of foods with attention to appearance, taste, and temperature.
• Greet patients and co-workers with a positive, helpful manner.
• Maintain sanitation and follow health codes and recipes.

Skills

Customer service

Reading recipes

Math basics

Verbal communication

Written communication

Stress management

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Tools

Food service equipment

Job description

Job Details

Do you want to work at one of the Top 100 Hospitals in the nation? We are guided by our values of Love and Excellence and are passionate about delivering health, not just health care. Come join us at ChristianaCare! ChristianaCare, with Hospitals in Wilmington and Newark, DE, as well as Elkton, MD, is one of the largest health care providers in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Named one of “America’s Best Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report, we have an excess of 1,100 beds between our hospitals and are committed to providing the best patient care in the region. We are proud to that Christiana Hospital, Wilmington Hospital, our Ambulatory Services, and HomeHealth have all received ANCC Magnet Recognition® Hours will vary between 5:00AM- 2:30PM or and 11am-7:30PM as well as a few shifts in-between those timeframes.

PRIMARY FUNCTION

Prepares a wide variety of foods ensuring the attractiveness, palatability, and temperature of food in accordance with standardized recipes and standard operating procedures. Complies with Christiana Care, federal, and state health codes.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Demonstrates a patient/customer "comes first" attitude.
• Greets patients, visitors, customers, and co-workers with a smile and pleasant manner.
• Demonstrates quality customer service.
• Practices service recovery.
• Demonstrates understanding and executes CCHS Core Values – Excellence and Love.
• Interacts with patients, families, co-workers, management, physicians, and other department staff in a compassionate manner, demonstrating empathy, sensitivity, patience, and mutual respect.
• Demonstrates ability to read and follow assignments, completing within established time frames and maintains a high level of productivity without direct supervision.
• Communicates pertinent and vital information and feedback to co-workers and supervisors.
• Follows written and verbal instructions as directed.
• Assumes an active role to keep informed about changes in policies, procedures and equipment, completes mandatory education, attends and participates at meetings, and is willing to be taught, coached, and/or mentored by others.
• Adheres to Christiana Care and department policies and procedures.
• Complies with Christiana Care and department sanitation/safety responsibilities in the performance of all job assignments in accordance with Federal and State Health codes.
• Prepares a wide variety of foods, such as: meats, fish, poultry, fresh, frozen, canned, and dehydrated vegetables, ensuring the attractiveness, palatability, and temperature of food in accordance with standardized recipes and standard operating procedures.
• Produces items focusing on merchandizing and eye appeal.
• Demonstrates ability to extend recipes to meet production numbers based on requested amounts
• Demonstrates ability to test cooked food by tasting and smelling, and takes corrective action as required.
• Ensures that all perishable items are dated, rotated and served utilizing the FIFO guidelines.
• Discusses with supervision all leftovers for run-outs.
• Demonstrates ability to keep own work areas clean and organized at all times.
• Demonstrates ability to maintains food dating, labeling, and correct shelf organization in cook’s walk-in and keeps area organized and clean.

SCOPE, PURPOSE, AND FREQUENCY OF CONTACTS

Frequent contact with supervision, clinical dietitians, and employees, occasional contact with patients and customers for recipe consultation, food substitutions and run-outs, and quality control problems.

DIRECTION/SUPERVISION RECEIVED

Associate Director, Administrative Manager, Supervisor X, Supervisor VII, and Cook II

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

High school graduate or equivalent. Six months food service experience preferred. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL, AND ABILITY REQUIREMENTS

• Knowledge of food service equipment operation and use.
• Knowledge of departmental policies and procedures.
• Ability to read and follow standardized recipes.
• Ability to calculate recipe quantities and extensions using simple math.
• Ability to communicate verbally and in writing.
• Ability to exercise judgement in response to customer/patient demands.
• Ability to manage stress in a highly visible service organization.

Hourly Pay Range: $19.48 - $28.24 This pay rate/range represents ChristianaCare’s good faith and reasonable estimate of compensation at the time of posting. The actual salary within this range offered to a successful candidate will depend on individual factors including without limitation skills, relevant experience, and qualifications as they relate to specific job requirements.

Christiana Care Health System is an equal opportunity employer, firmly committed to prohibiting discrimination, whose staff is reflective of its community, and considers qualified applicants for open positions without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity or expression, age, veteran status, disability, pregnancy, citizenship status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.

Post End Date Oct 23, 2026

ChristianaCare offers a competitive suite of employee benefits to maximize the wellness of you and your family, including:

• health insurance
• paid time off
• retirement
• an employee assistance program

To learn more about our benefits for eligible positions visit https://careers.christianacare.org/benefits-compensation/

Christiana Hospital, Newark, Delaware. This 1,007-bed, 1.3-million-square-foot modern facility provides a level of care only available in large-scale teaching hospitals. Christiana Hospital includes Delaware's only Level-I Trauma center (as verified by the American College of Surgeons), which is prepared to handle the most extreme medical emergencies. In fact, it is the only Level-I Trauma center on the East Coast corridor between Baltimore and Philadelphia. Christiana Hospital has also been nationally recognized in U.S. News & World Report's Best Regional Hospitals rankings as #1 in Delaware and #3 in the Philadelphia metro area, plus High Performing in 9 Adult Procedures/Conditions Christiana Care Health System Website