About the job
Position Overview: Lead Cook supports daily culinary operations by preparing high-quality meals and providing hands-on leadership to cooks and student employees. This position helps coordinate production, maintain food-safety and sanitation standards, control waste, and ensure that meals are ready on time and consistent with approved menus, recipes, and the service values of Southwestern Adventist University.
Responsibilities:
- Lead assigned meal-period production and coordinate workflow among kitchen and student staff
- Prepare and present menu items according to approved recipes, portion standards, and service schedules
- Assign daily tasks, communicate priorities, monitor work, and provide on-the-job guidance
- Monitor food quality, appearance, temperature, and portioning throughout production and service
- Follow and reinforce food safety, sanitation, allergen, storage, labeling, and cross-contamination procedures
- Complete required production, temperature, cooling, and waste documentation
- Support food preparation and service for regular dining, catering, and University events
- Monitor supplies and assist with receiving, inventory, rotation, and proper food storage
- Assist with maintaining an organized, safe, sanitary, and efficient kitchen environment
- Support food and labor cost control through proper portions, batch cooking, responsible ingredient use, and waste reduction
- Maintain clean, sanitized, organized, and secure work areas, equipment, and storage spaces
- Respond professionally to operational changes, dietary needs, and service concerns
- Assist with training and onboarding kitchen and student staff
- Complete assigned opening, closing, and end-of-shift responsibilities
Minimum Qualifications:
- High school diploma or equivalent, or an acceptable combination of education and relevant experience
- Minimum of two years of commercial, institutional, or high-volume food-service experience
- Ability to prepare food using standardized recipes and coordinate multiple items within established service times
- Current Food Handler certification or ability to obtain certification within the required timeframe
- Ability to communicate effectively, follow written and verbal instructions, perform basic food-production calculations, and maintain required records
- Reliable attendance and flexibility to meet Dining Services scheduling needs
Preferred Qualifications:
- Three or more years of high-volume cooking experience, including lead or supervisory experience
- Culinary training, ServSafe Manager certification, or comparable food-safety credentials
- Experience in institutional dining, higher education, catering, vegetarian cuisine, or special-diet preparation
- Experience training or directing student or entry-level employees
Work Conditions: This position requires working indoors and occasionally outdoors, with exposure to varying temperatures. Flexible work schedule based on operational needs including occasional evenings, weekends, holidays, and special events. Ability to independently lift and carry up to 20 pounds and perform routine physical activities including prolonged standing, walking, bending, stooping, reaching, and repetitive hand movements.