SUMMARY OF POSITION:  Supervise and participate in the preparation and service of food in a Head Start kitchen that serves more than one group of children per day.  Supervise assistant cook and volunteers, provide technical assistance to area cooks, and maintain compliance with Head Start/Early Head Start performance standards, District Health Department and USDA requirements.

QUALIFICATIONS ESSENTIAL:

1. Experience preparing meals from scratch and working with standardize recipes
2. Completion of nutrition courses
3. Current State of Idaho Food Handlers Certificate or willing to complete prior to start date
4. One year supervisory experience within the food service industry
5. Eighteen years of age or older
6. Operate several kitchen appliances i.e. food processor, dishwasher and can opener
7. Ability to effectively communicate verbally and in writing
8. Basic computer skills
9. Ability to read and perform basic math computations
10. Current driver's license
11. Complete criminal record check from Department of Health & Welfare’s Criminal History Unit prior to consideration for hire

ADDITIONAL:

• Ability to lift 50 pounds in repetitive motion with reasonable accommodation.

TYPICAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES ESSENTIAL:

1. Treat participants, fellow staff and community members with positive regard.
2. Prepare meals for Head Start/Early Head Start participants following menus prepared by the nutrition consultant along with the work plan outlined in the Head Start/Early Head Start Nutrition Work Plan.
3. Make menu modifications needed to reflect the culture of the families served with approval of the nutrition consultant.
4. Make menu modifications for children requiring special diets.
5. Maintain sanitary conditions in the Head Start/Early Head Start kitchen, food storage and eating area.
6. Record and monitor meal count in Program’s tracking system.
7. Purchase food and kitchen items in compliance with Federal guidelines while staying within assigned budget.
8. Allocate purchases on summary sheet and bank software.
9. Collaborate with center staff to provide nutrition information, recipes, menus and food safety information to Head Start/Early Head Start participants and staff.
10. Responsible for ordering, shopping, storage and use of food items.
11. Utilize the Head Start/Early Head Start kitchen and eating area as a tool for parent involvement.
12. Participate in an individualized continuing education plan including CPR and First Aid.

ADDITIONAL:

• Prepare food for staff and parent training.
• Collaborate with education staff to design and demonstrate food experiences in the classroom.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Skills

1. Operate several kitchen appliances i.e. food processor, dishwasher and can opener
2. Ability to communicate
3. Ability to read and perform basic math computations

Required Experience

1. Experience preparing meals from scratch and working with standardize recipes
2. One year supervisory experience within the food service industry