Culinary Associate

Recent Jobs : Human Resources : Swarthmore College; Swarthmore (Delaware County); On-site; USD 31,684 - 33,062; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

10% retirement contribution

Benefit plans starting at zero cost

Job summary

Swarthmore College is seeking a dedicated cook to join their dining team, offering quality meals to the community. The role requires 2 years of experience or culinary training, alongside excellent customer service and teamwork skills.

In addition, the position offers a competitive pay rate of $23.58 hourly and great benefits. Join a passionate group committed to providing high-quality dining services in a welcoming environment.

Qualifications

• 2 years of cook experience in a high-volume food establishment or completion of a culinary vocational training program.
• Excellent culinary knife skills.
• Good interpersonal skills and the ability to work in a team environment.

Responsibilities

• Consult daily menu and production sheets.
• Ensure food quality and safety standards are met.
• Promote teamwork and help maintain kitchen cleanliness.

Skills

Culinary knife skills

Interpersonal skills

Customer service

Education

2 years cook experience or culinary vocational training

Culinary program certificate (preferred)

Job description

Swarthmore Dining

Swarthmore Dining is dedicated to serving our community with nutritious and satisfying food in a welcoming environment every day. Our mission is to offer a diverse menu that features high-quality ingredients, emphasizing locally grown and sustainably produced products whenever possible.

Essential Responsibilities

• Consult daily menu and production sheets in order to be prepared for your shift
• Reads recipes and produces product consistent with recipes and production
• Maintains departmental standards for all menu items
• Place finished products on the line in a timely manner.
• Ensures faculty, students and staff receive safe food products of the highest quality, freshness, and consistency, according to department standards
• Stores all food products properly. Wrap tightly, date and label all food items. Transport food to the appropriate walk-in refrigerator or freezer.
• Clean as you go and sanitize the cook line as well as equipment, walls, floors, hoods, walk-ins, and line coolers.
• Promotes teamwork by assisting in cleaning areas of the kitchen, sweeping and mopping, cleaning the coolers, organizing dry storage etc.
• Observes the basic rules of kitchen safety, sanitation and back door safety.
• Uses First in First Out (FIFO) rule to ensure proper rotation.
• Utilizes various cleaning chemicals in accordance with Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS).
• Completes all running, opening and closing side work.
• Providing friendly and competent customer service.
• Record food temp logs of hot and cold food items.
• Follow all food safety HACCP requirements
• Store in proper refrigerator/freezer
• Knowledge of food product, identification, and acceptable level of food quality
• Ensures food is stored at the appropriate temperature for the appropriate length of time and follows all food safety standards
• Must know methods of food preparation, cooking times, and portion sizes to ensure food is prepared in prescribed manner
• Evaluates food quality and preparedness by tasting
• Cuts, trims, bones, and carves meats and poultry for cooking
• Responsible for using correct portions when cutting, preparing, and serving items
• Assists in other areas as needed
• Assist in kitchen organization and workflow
• Maintain a professional and clean appearance at all times
• Ensure proper cooling down of all hot food items before placing them in the refrigerator.
• Prepare all foods at the correct temperature according to the HACCP Guidelines.
• Make suggestions to sous chef for menu items and recipe adjustments
• Communicate clearly with front of house about menu items and portion sizes
• Record production clearly.
• Monitor and communicate with the line server/food runner about menu items and portion control.
• Maintain a visual contact with the front of the house and customers.
• Responsible for the prep of all components needed for production of salads, deli, catering platters, grab‑n‑go sandwiches, coffee bar sandwiches and retail locations as directed by production manager, retail operations and catering.
• Prepares baked goods such as breads, rolls, muffins, biscuits, and cakes according to recipes and under the direction of the Baker. Prepares and serves food items according to standards. Uses and cleans commercial baking equipment.

Required Qualifications

• 2 years of cook experience in a high‑volume food establishment or completion of a culinary vocational training program.
• Excellent culinary knife skills
• Recipe scaling for various batch sizes
• Good interpersonal skills and the ability to work in a team environment
• Excellent customer service
• Ability to read and follow recipes
• Ability to communicate clearly
• Ability to communicate with co‑workers and management with professionalism and respect.
• Ability to read, write, comprehend, and follow verbal and written instructions to interact with students, faculty, and staff.

Preferred Qualifications

• Culinary program certificate
• 3‑5 years of experience in high volume food establishment
• Serv‑safe certification
• Food Allergen knowledge/certification
• Valid PA driver’s license

What You Will Get

You’ll work at one of the world’s most renowned liberal arts Colleges, with incredible benefits, a stunning 420‑acre campus, and a collaborative work environment. Join a team of passionate, creative people who work hard and have fun supporting the College students, faculty, and staff.

We offer benefit plans starting at zero cost! Upon benefit eligibility, the College contributes 10% of an employee’s salary to their retirement account. Employees are 100% vested in their accounts on the date participation begins.

Compensation

The pay for this position is $23.58 per hour, which represents the College’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range at the time of posting.

Background Check

PA Criminal Clearance Required.

Swarthmore College requires a PA Criminal background check for all staff positions prior to the start of employment.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Swarthmore College is committed to creating a culture of respect and inclusion so that every member of our community feels a sense of belonging. We actively seek and welcome candidates with diverse perspectives and experiences, exceptional qualifications, and a demonstrable commitment to a more inclusive society and world. Swarthmore College is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based on any identity or characteristic protected by law or College Policy.