General Cook

Bay City School District; Bay City (MI); On-site; USD 19,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

Bay City School District is seeking a dependable Food Service General Cook for Handy Middle School. You will prepare and serve nutritious meals for students, follow approved menus, and maintain a sanitary kitchen environment.

The role requires attention to food safety, record-keeping, and teamwork in a fast-paced school setting. The position offers a starting wage of $16.51+ per hour, with opportunities to contribute to meal planning and catering for events.

Qualifications

• Experience with large-scale cooking and food preparation/serving.
• Knowledge of dietary standards and record-keeping in school nutrition.
• Able to pass district cook assessment and ServSafe sanitation training.

Responsibilities

• Prepare, plan, and serve meals including breakfast and lunch.
• Assist with daily cleaning of kitchen equipment for sanitation.
• Prepare food according to planned menu and tested recipes; ensure quality.
• Maintain storage and handling of leftovers per regulations.
• Provide production records and maintain sanitation standards in equipment and utensils.
• Assist with ordering food and supplies and manage inventories.

Skills

Food preparation

Food safety

Sanitation standards

Record-keeping

Education

High school diploma or GED

ServSafe Sanitation Certification

General Cook Assessment Test

Job description

Position Details

Position Type: Food Service/ Food Service General Cook

Date Posted: 11/5/2026

Location: Handy Middle School

Date Available: 01/01/2027

Starting Wage: $16.51+

SUMMARY

To prepare and serve nutritious, high quality meals to students in a quick and pleasant manner, within a clean and pleasant atmosphere, keeping within sanitation, safety, food cost, and scheduling guidelines.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Responsible for preparing, planning, and serving meals including, but not limited to, breakfast, lunch, special orders, special diets, catering and banquets.
• Assists with the daily cleaning of all kitchen equipment to ensure cleanliness and sanitary conditions are met.
• Prepares and serves food according to a planned menu and tested, uniform recipes, and determines if the finished product is of best quality both in flavor and appearance before it is served.
• Responsible for the care, storage, and proper use of leftovers according to all rules and regulations.
• Provides, on a daily basis, the information required for the production record.
• Maintains adequate standards of sanitation for all equipment and utensils.
• Reports to immediate supervisor any faulty or inferior quality food which is received.
• Reports/advises the immediate supervisor of any/all needs for the maintenance, repair, replacement or general conditions of equipment or utensils used by the department.
• Aids and assists the Building Food Service Supervisor in maintaining all records, bills, and inventories as they apply to the department.
• Assists the Building Food Service Supervisor in the ordering of food and non-food supplies for the department.
• Works to build a spirit of teamwork and cooperation between all those in the department.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Building Food Service Supervisor or the Director of Food Service.
• Reports any/all safety condition concerns to the Food Service Supervisor immediately.
• Exhibits a reliable, punctual, dependable, honest, and self-motivated approach.
• Exhibits a positive image as a loyal representative of the school district.
• Assists with training of kitchen helpers when assigned to their location.
• Provides top level customer service to students, staff and the community.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Building Food Service Supervisor or the Director of Food Service.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

None

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EDUCATION and / OR EXPERIENCE

High school diploma or general education degree (GED); previous experience with large-scale cooking and food preparation/serving. Experience and extensive knowledge of food service operation including, but not limited to, food preparation, dietary standards, and record-keeping. Knowledge of food service operational standards and procedures. Demonstrated aptitude for successful performance of the essential duties and responsibilities as listed in the job description. Successful passing of the District's General Cook Assessment Test. Successful passing of the ServSafe Sanitation Class within the previous six (6) months of hiring. Basic knowledge of all applicable Federal, State, and Local Food Service regulations and Board of Education policies. Meets Required Training Standards for School Nutrition Program Staff.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Ability to read and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence, and memos. Ability to write simple correspondence. Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to students, customers, co-workers, and other employees of the organization. Ability to communicate well with others, both verbally and in writing.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

Ability to add and subtract two digit numbers and to multiply and divide with 10's and 100's. Ability to perform these operations using units of weight measurement, volume and distance.

REASONING ABILITY

Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed, but basic, written or oral instructions. Ability to deal with problems involving a few concrete variables in standardized situations.

OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES

Extensive knowledge of food service operation including, but not limited to, food preparation, dietary standards, and record-keeping. Ability to work in a friendly manner with co-workers, staff and students, and have the ability to plan own work schedule and to direct helpers under his/her supervision. General knowledge of the best methods of preparing and cooking foods in large quantities; ability to adjust recipes to the quantity required. Ability to perform job and communicate in a noisy environment. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with students, staff and the community. Ability to perform duties with awareness of all district requirements, Board of Education policies, and all applicable Federal, State and local Food Service regulations. Must exhibit reliable, punctual, dependable, honest, and self-motivated abilities.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to walk and continuously required to stand. The employee will frequently bend or twist at the neck and trunk while performing the duties of this job. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee continuously uses hand strength to grasp tools. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds such as milk crates, frozen foods, canned food etc. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, and depth perception and peripheral vision and color vision. Attendance and punctuality are an expectation of the position.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

While performing the duties of this job, the employee occasionally works in temperatures above 100 degrees while also needing to enter freezers/coolers with temperatures below -10 degrees. Occasionally employee will walk on slippery surfaces. The employee must be able to meet deadlines with severe time constraints and interact with students, staff, and the public and other workers. The noise level in the work environment is frequently loud to where you have to raise your voice to be heard. The employee has a greater than average risk of getting a minor injury such as cut or burns while performing the duties of this job.

NOTE

The information contained in this job description is for compliance with the American with Disabilities Act (A.D.A.) and is not an exhaustive list of the duties performed for this position. Additional duties are performed by the individuals currently holding this position and additional duties may be assigned.