Lead Cook

Advocate Health Care; Hazel Crest (IL); On-site; USD 25,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

Advocate Health Care in Hazel Crest, IL seeks an experienced culinary professional to support staff, supervise production, and ensure quality and safety in daily meal preparation. The role requires at least 5 years in food production, a High School diploma, and ServSafe certification within one year.

You will follow recipes, monitor temps, manage inventories, and train team members to maintain high standards.

Qualifications

• High School Graduate required.
• Typically requires 5 years of experience in food production in settings such as a hotel, restaurant or high end institutional environment.
• Familiarity with diet restrictions and the ability to adapt recipes accordingly.
• Excellent problem solving and decision‑making skills.
• Excellent time management skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• ServSafe Food Handler certification must be obtained within 1 year.

Responsibilities

• Acts as a resource to staff, including training and day-to-day work direction; assigns, monitors, reviews progress, and maintains staffing levels.
• Assists with human resource responsibilities such as interviewing and selection of new employees, staff development, and morale.
• Reviews production sheets and recipes; prepares food per production report and maintains time and production records.
• Measures and mixes ingredients, uses kitchen utensils and equipment to prepare soups, salads, gravies, desserts, sauces and casseroles.
• Bakes, roasts, broils and steams meat, fish, vegetables and other foods; carves and slices meats and cheese.
• Garnishes, displays and serves food items; ensures proper storage and rotation of inventories and monitors food temperatures.
• Follows safety standards for handling, storage and sanitation; maintains temperature logs.
• Monitors portioning and promotes waste reduction; prepares in small batches to control waste and costs.
• Provides care appropriate to age of patients served and follows department policies and procedures.

Skills

Diet restrictions knowledge

Recipe measurement

Problem solving

Time management

Interpersonal skills

Education

High School Graduate

Job description

Major Responsibilities

• Acts as a resource to staff, which includes training/orienting and providing day-to-day work direction. Assigns, monitors, and reviews progress and accuracy of work, monitors productivity, maintains appropriate staffing levels, directs efforts and provides guidance on more complex issues.
• Assists with human resource responsibilities, which may include interviewing and selection of new employees, staff development, resolution of employee concerns, and employee morale. Assists in interpreting department policies and procedures, and advises and updates staff on procedural changes.
• Reviews production sheets and recipes to ensure quality and quantity needed for items to prepare. Prepares food on daily production report according to established guidelines. Maintains time and production records.
• Measures and mixes ingredients according to recipe. Uses a variety of kitchen utensils and equipment including blenders, mixers, grinders, slicers and tenderizers to prepare soups, salads, gravies, desserts, sauces and casseroles.
• Bakes, roasts, broils and steams meat, fish, vegetables and other foods per recipes. Carves and slices meats and cheese.
• Garnishes, displays and serves food items according to standards and recipes.
• Ensures proper storage and rotation of inventories in refrigerators and freezers. Monitors food temperatures and utilizes established procedures to ensure safe food handling techniques and prevent bacteria contamination.
• Follows department standards for safe food handling, storage and sanitation. Maintain temperature logs for production areas per department standards.
• Monitors accurate portioning and promotes food waste control. Prepares in small batches to help control waste/cost.
• Must be able to demonstrate knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patients served. Must demonstrate knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span and possess the ability to assess data reflective of the patient's status and interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to his/her age‑specific needs, and to provide the care needed as described in the department's policies and procedures. Age‑specific information is developed further in the departmental job standards.

Major Responsibilities

• Acts as a resource to staff, which includes training/orienting and providing day-to-day work direction. Assigns, monitors, and reviews progress and accuracy of work, monitors productivity, maintains appropriate staffing levels, directs efforts and provides guidance on more complex issues.
• Assists with human resource responsibilities, which may include interviewing and selection of new employees, staff development, resolution of employee concerns, and employee morale. Assists in interpreting department policies and procedures, and advises and updates staff on procedural changes.
• Reviews production sheets and recipes to ensure quality and quantity needed for items to prepare. Prepares food on daily production report according to established guidelines. Maintains time and production records.
• Measures and mixes ingredients according to recipe. Uses a variety of kitchen utensils and equipment including blenders, mixers, grinders, slicers and tenderizers to prepare soups, salads, gravies, desserts, sauces and casseroles.
• Bakes, roasts, broils and steams meat, fish, vegetables and other foods per recipes. Carves and slices meats and cheese.
• Garnishes, displays and serves food items according to standards and recipes.
• Ensures proper storage and rotation of inventories in refrigerators and freezers. Monitors food temperatures and utilizes established procedures to ensure safe food handling techniques and prevent bacteria contamination.
• Follows department standards for safe food handling, storage and sanitation. Maintain temperature logs for production areas per department standards.
• Monitors accurate portioning and promotes food waste control. Prepares in small batches to help control waste/cost.
• Must be able to demonstrate knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patients served. Must demonstrate knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span and possess the ability to assess data reflective of the patient's status and interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to his/her age‑specific needs, and to provide the care needed as described in the department's policies and procedures. Age‑specific information is developed further in the departmental job standards.

Licensure, Registration, And/or Certification Required

• ServSafe Food Handler certification issued by the National Restaurant Association needs to be obtained within 1 year.

Education Required

• High School Graduate.

Experience Required

• Typically requires 5 years of experience in food production in settings such as a hotel, restaurant or high end institutional environment.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Required

• Familiarity with diet restrictions and the ability to adapt recipes accordingly.
• Ability to measure and scale amounts of ingredients used in a recipe.
• Excellent problem solving and decision‑making skills.
• Excellent time management skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills.

Physical Requirements And Working Conditions

• Stands, walks and lifts the majority of the workday as well as squats, bends, twists, reaches above the shoulders, knees and climbs throughout.
• Must be able to:
• lift up to 40 lbs. from floor to a maximum 5 ft.
• Lift and carry up to 40 lbs. at waist height a reasonable distance.
• Must be able to:
• push/pull with 20 lbs. of force.
• Working atmosphere may contain fumes, odors, dust/dirt.
• May be exposed to mechanical, electrical and chemical hazards. This is a result of working with ovens, deep fryers, cutlery and cleaning agents.
• Protective clothing must be worn as necessary.
• Operates all equipment necessary to perform the job.

This job description indicates the general nature and level of work expected of the incumbent. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the incumbent. Incumbent may be required to perform other related duties.