Third Cook

Tufts University; Medford Hillside (MA); On-site; USD 39,000 - 40,000; Part time

Job summary

Tufts University is seeking a Third Cook for Tufts Dining to prepare and present menu items across residential dining centers and catering. The role requires prior kitchen experience, knife skills, and a strong commitment to safety and quality in a fast-paced, team-based environment.

The position is an academic year role with weekend and evening shifts, offering weekend work and a structured schedule. Candidates should be capable of independent work and delivering excellent customer service in a

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED or equivalent
• Minimum of 1 year of food preparation or kitchen experience
• Ability to safely operate commercial kitchen equipment
• Demonstrated knife skills and culinary techniques
• Knowledge of food safety, sanitation and handling procedures
• Ability to work independently and in a team
• Strong customer service and communication skills

Responsibilities

• Prepare, cook, and present menu items per recipes and schedules
• Maintain production stations, ensure timely food preparation and high quality
• Follow sanitation and safety procedures; keep area clean and logs up to date
• Provide courteous service in customer-facing areas and support dining operations
• Work efficiently in a fast-paced environment and adapt to needs
• Support overall dining operations and adhere to department policies

Skills

Food prep

Knife skills

Sanitation knowledge

Teamwork

Customer service

Education

High School diploma or GED

Associate degree in Culinary Arts

ServSafe Certification

Job description

Overview

This role is an academic year position.

Shift: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: 6:00 AM - 2:30 PM. Friday: 11:45 AM - 8:15 PM. Tuesday & Saturday Off.

Tufts Dining is a self-operated food service provider managing a comprehensive collegiate dining program on the Tufts University Medford/Somerville and SMFA/Fenway campus, delivering high quality, contemporary and innovative food and hospitality services to meet the various needs of students, staff, faculty, administrators and visitors in a fiscally responsible manner. Our team provides a progressive resident dining program as well as innovative retail services, and a distinctive university catering program serving a campus community comprised of 6600 undergraduates, 2100 graduate students, and 2300 staff, faculty and administrators.

Residential dining Centers and Catering are open 7 days a week. Working weekends & evenings will be expected.

What You'll Do

The Third Cook prepares, cooks, and presents a variety of menu items in accordance with established recipes, production schedules, quality standards, and food safety requirements. This position utilizes a variety of cooking methods and commercial kitchen equipment to produce food in support of daily dining operations.

• The Third Cook is responsible for maintaining assigned production stations, ensuring food is prepared and served in a timely manner, and maintaining high standards of food quality, sanitation, and customer service.
• Working both independently and as part of a team, the Third Cook assists with food preparation, service, station setup and breakdown, and other kitchen-related duties as assigned.
• The position is responsible for following all food safety and sanitation procedures, maintaining a clean and organized work area, and accurately completing required production and temperature logs.
• In customer-facing areas, the Third Cook provides courteous and professional service while contributing to a positive dining experience.
• The Third Cook must demonstrate the ability to work efficiently in a fast-paced environment, adapt to changing business needs, and perform assigned duties with minimal supervision.
• This position supports the overall success of dining operations through a commitment to quality, safety, teamwork, and exceptional customer service while performing additional duties as required to meet departmental and operational needs.
  • All employees are responsible for punching in and out in accordance with department policy and standards.
  • All employees must be given permission from a manager to punch in early or stay past their schedule "out time."
  • All employees must adhere to posted schedule.
  • All requests for time off will be granted based on business needs.
  • In accordance with the CBA, schedules will be posted 14 days (excludes catering) in advance.
  • Time off requests must follow proper procedure and will be approved or denied in accordance with department needs.
  • No request will be honored for Senior Week, Holidays, Alumni Weekend, Commencement, Orientation, Matriculation, or Special Events during the Academic Year.

What You're Looking For

Basic Requirements:

• High School Diploma or GED, or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Minimum of 1 year of food preparation or commercial kitchen experience preferred
• Ability to safely operate commercial foodservice equipment or learn equipment operation through on-the-job training
• Demonstrated knife skills and knowledge of basic culinary techniques
• Knowledge of food safety, sanitation, and proper food handling procedures
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Strong customer service and communication skills

Preferred Qualifications:

• Associate Degree or Certificate in Culinary Arts
• ServSafe Food Handler or ServSafe Manager Certification
• Experience in high-volume institutional, university, hotel, restaurant, healthcare, or catering foodservice operations
• Experience using commercial food production equipment

The pay rate for this position is $28.16 / hour.