Food Services Worker

Under immediate supervision, to perform unskilled work maintaining the cleanliness and orderliness of a kitchen and assisting Cooks; and to perform related work as required.

Food Services Worker is an entry-level classification primarily responsible for cleaning kitchens and performing simple cookery functions. Positions in this class are allocated to the Sheriff’s Department and the Health and Human Services Agency. This class is distinguished from the next higher level, Cook, in that the latter is responsible for preparing and serving food to inmates, patients, residents, and staff assigned to a County facility.

The examples of functions listed in the class specification are representative but not necessarily exhaustive or descriptive of any one position in the class. Management is not precluded from assigning other related functions not listed herein if such duties are a logical assignment for the position.

Essential Functions:

1. Assists Cooks and Senior Cooks in preparing and serving meals to inmates, patients, residents, and staff.

2. Ensures that serving trays are properly filled and correctly labeled.

3. Cleans and prepares vegetables and fruits for cooking.

4. Washes pots, pans and dishes, and stores clean dishes.

5. Cleans food preparation and kitchen equipment such as refrigerators, freezers, ice machines, dishwashers, carts, shelves, tables, and storage areas.

6. Sweeps and mops floors in kitchens and storage areas.

7. Cleans and sets up dining rooms.

8. Checks delivered items for accuracy and completeness in accordance with correct specifications, and places delivered items into appropriate storage locations.

9. Stocks and re-stocks food supplies, kitchen equipment, and other items by lifting, carrying, and placing bags of food on to conveyor belts.

10. Loads and unloads food carts to deliver food and drinks.

11. Reads and follows recipes to prepare food and drinks.

12. Makes minor adjustments to food preparation and kitchen equipment as needed.

13. Assembles tray contents according to instruction to accommodate special diets for inmates, patients, residents, and staff as necessary.

Knowledge of:

– Safety practices as applied to food preparation and use of kitchen and cleaning equipment.

– Practices and methods used to clean and sanitize kitchen equipment.

– Basic techniques used to prepare and serve meals, snacks, and nourishments.

– Basic arithmetic.

– Special diets pertaining to inmates, patients, and residents when preparing food trays and serving meals.

Skills and Abilities to:

– Use food preparation equipment, kitchen equipment, cleaning equipment, solvents, and cleaning agents in a safe and efficient manner.

– Ensure that immediate and surrounding work areas are safe and free of actual or potential hazards.

– Pay close attention to detail when preparing food trays, reading and following instructions on labels and recipes, and serving the correct meals and modified diets to inmates, patients, and residents according to specifications.

– Understand and follow written and verbal instructions from kitchen personnel.

– Complete work in a timely and efficient manner while dealing with frequent interruptions and changes to tasks and priorities.

– Establish effective working relationships with supervisors, employees, inmates, patients, residents, and representatives of outside agencies representing diverse cultures and backgrounds.

– Treat County employees, representatives of outside agencies, inmates, patients, and residents with courtesy and respect.

– Communicate effectively verbally when speaking to individuals.

– Communicate effectively in writing when documenting food temperatures and problems with food preparation and kitchen equipment, and maintaining records.

Education, training, and/or experience that demonstrate possession of the knowledge, skills and abilities listed above. Examples of qualifying education/experience are:

1. One (1) year of full time experience performing food services work for a company, agency, or organization. Domestic cooking or cleaning in one’s own residence is not considered qualifying.

2. The completion of a college-level course in Quantity Cookery or Therapeutic Diets substitutes for six (6) months of the experience listed above.

Note: For positions assigned to the Health and Human Services Agency, (6) months of full time experience in a hospital or a health care setting substitutes for the experience listed above.