Overview
THIS POSITION IS BASED IN OREGON, IL AT THE LORADO TAFT FIELD CAMPUS. IT IS A 9-MONTH POSITION (FROM MARCH THROUGH NOVEMBER) FOR 30 HOURS PER WEEK.
The Lorado Taft Field Campus is Northern Illinois University's outdoor education and conference center and is located in Oregon, Illinois. Taft Campus' outdoor education program is generally multidisciplinary, place-based, and experiential, and planned in close partnership with the visiting schools with the goal of providing excellent programming and customer service to the visiting students and staff. The Taft Campus is known for providing excellent food service to groups of all ages. The Culinary Worker III position is an integral part of the food service team.
For additional information about Lorado Taft Field Campus, please visit https://www.niu.edu/taft/. |
Position Summary
The Culinary Worker III (Cook) is responsible for the preparation of foods in accordance with the campus standards of quality food service including accurately following recipes and preparation guidelines, maintaining cleanliness of food preparation areas, ensuring meals are served on time and at proper serving temperature, and ensuring that safe, adequate substitutions are provided to guests and staff who have special dietary requirements. This position's contributions help to support the Taft Campus' emphasis on providing excellent customer service and encouraging return customers. This position receives direction from the Taft Campus Food Service Administrator. This is an 80% FTE, 75% staff year position, with a staff year of March 1 to November 30, with additional hours during the winter months as needed. |
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Planning and Preparation
- Perform food preparation tasks including measuring, mixing, and cutting ingredients based on established recipes and preparing without a recipe when one is not useful.
- Prepare baked goods from scratch.
- Prepare and cook appetizers, salads, vegetables, soups, sauces, entrees and desserts.
- Maintain ready supply of coffee.
- Check menu and special diets for upcoming needs and complete necessary food prep to ensure all needs are met.
- Requisition supplies from local grocery in lieu of shortage.
- When necessary, communicate with dining hall liaison to maintain proper table counts and settings.
- Adhere to food preparation sanitation practices.
Food Service and Storage
- Serve food in both family-style and buffet service modes.
- Utilize reusable foods in desirable manner.
- Date, rotate and store food in correct storage areas.
- Assist in keeping food storage areas neat and orderly and ensure that all food items are put away in their proper place after use.
- Be cognizant of efficient techniques for delivery and service of food items and adhere to food service sanitation practices.
Kitchen Cleaning and Maintenance
- Wash pots and pans and put away.
- Clean up working areas when food prep is completed.
- Clean equipment, shelves, counters, and carts.
- Clean sinks.
- Assist Food Service Sanitation Laborer in putting dishes away, as needed.
Campus Maintenance
- Assist the Building and Grounds department staff in facility and grounds maintenance during times when there are no food service needs, including (but not limited to):
- Cleaning
- Painting
- Mulching
- Snow removal
- Brush hauling
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Minimum Required Qualifications (Civil Service)
- High school diploma or equivalent.
- One (1) year (12 months) of work experience that is comparable to that described in the lower level of this series.
- Successful completion of the Food Service Manager training and acquiring the Illinois Department of Public Health, Food Service Manager Certification (from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited trainer) within two months of hire date.
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Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) (Civil Service)
- Knowledge of materials and methods used to prepare food on a large scale, use and care of relevant utensils and equipment and food values and nutrition.
- Knowledge of sanitary procedures and directives; how to use simple cleaning solutions and equipment.
- Knowledge of basic arithmetic operations and their applications.
- Knowledge of quality control analysis, such as conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Skill in giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made.
- Skill in completing assignments accurately and with attention to detail.
- Skill in developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
- Ability to read and interpret relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
- Ability to plan meals on a large scale.
- Ability to work with and supervise other kitchen employees.
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Specialty Factors (Civil Service)
None |
Preferred Qualifications (Civil Service)
- Possession of an Illinois Allergens Course Certificate.
- Experience serving banquet/catering style food service to groups of 100 people or more.
- Experience in a leadership/supervisor role of two employees or more.
- Experience in a position preparing and serving food to high-risk individuals such as children or the elderly.
- Experience in a customer service capacity, directly and actively listening to the dietary needs of guests.
- Experience reading labels and understanding ingredients to determine safety for special dietary needs.
- Able to independently plan and prioritize work with quality, productivity and serving time in mind.
- Experience in quality control which required adjusting or replacing products when needed for safety or quality.
- Experience determining and fulfilling needs for the next day/shift.
- Experience closing a facility nightly with attention to safely shutting down equipment.
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Minimum Required Qualifications (SPS)
N/A |
Additional Requirements (SPS)
N/A |
Preferred Qualifications (SPS)
N/A |
Physical demands/requirements
- Standing and walking for the entire shift, except for scheduled break times.
- Frequently lifting and moving items weighing up to 25 lbs.
- Occasionally lifting and moving items weighing up to 50 lbs.
- Occasionally using a ladder to heights up to 6 feet.
- Occasionally working outdoors in inclement weather conditions.
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