Hospital Cook — Fresh, High-Volume Meals on Rotating Shifts

Hartford HealthCare; Torrington (CT); On-site; USD 21,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

Hartford HealthCare’s Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington, CT is seeking a dedicated cook to prepare items per menus and recipes, ensuring quality, safety, and timely service. You will follow production sheets, assist with garnishing, and maintain strict sanitation standards in a high-volume healthcare kitchen.

As a team member, you’ll handle inventory logs, participate in meetings, and support cost containment while delivering consistent meals in a patient-focused environment.

Qualifications

• 1 year of cooking or 3 years of directly related food service experience equivalent required
• HS Diploma, GED, or equivalent experience preferred
• Must be able to read, write, understand, and speak English
• Basic math required for recipe quantity calculations
• Ability to adjust recipe quantities based on census or volume
• Writing skills required for completing production records and documenting on logs and other reports
• 5 years of cooking in a healthcare setting or large volume/institutional cooking preferred
• Serv Safe Food Handlers certification preferred

Responsibilities

• Prepares food according to selected menus, approved recipes, and production sheets with knowledge of quantity cooking.
• Completes the preparation of all food items in a timely manner and assures that all foods meet required cooking temperatures.
• Under the direction of the manager, utilizes creativity in garnishing, decorating and developing new recipes where appropriate.
• Complies with stringent health, sanitation, safety, HACCP, and food handling standards.
• Adheres to quality and cost containment standards.
• Reports to appropriate Food Services Manager.
• Follows standardized recipes while being able to quantity and batch cook, appropriately garnish and decorate according to standards.
• Handles, prepares, and distributes food at the proper temperature and also assists in the cleaning and proper sanitation of the equipment in accordance with health codes and departmental policies and procedures to avoid contamination.
• Completes assigned administrative recordkeeping such as inventory of supplies, production records, all required logs including but not limited to temperature logs, waste logs, substitution logs, etc, and various reports as assigned on a daily basis.
• Performs cleaning duties daily, waste disposal, and assists with pots and pans as needed.
• Attends and participates in departmental meetings/huddles and in-services and provides direct feedback to management to promote continuous quality improvement for self and department.
• Perform other related duties as required

Skills

Cooking

Food Safety

Education

HS Diploma or GED

Serv Safe Food Handler certification

Job description

Hartford HealthCare’s Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington, CT is seeking a dedicated cook to prepare items per menus and recipes, ensuring quality, safety, and timely service. You will follow production sheets, assist with garnishing, and maintain strict sanitation standards in a high-volume healthcare kitchen.

As a team member, you’ll handle inventory logs, participate in meetings, and support cost containment while delivering consistent meals in a patient-focused environment.