Lead Cook — Personal Care Home
Job Summary
Oasis at Elizabeth is seeking a dependable, experienced, and resident-focused Lead Cook to oversee daily meal preparation and kitchen operations within our personal care home. The Lead Cook is responsible for preparing nutritious, appealing meals while ensuring residents’ dietary needs, preferences, allergies, physician-ordered diets, and texture modifications are followed accurately.
This position provides daily leadership to kitchen staff, supports meal planning and food inventory, and ensures the kitchen remains clean, organized, and compliant with food safety and sanitation requirements. The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong cooking skills, patience, professionalism, and a commitment to providing residents with a positive dining experience.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Lead and coordinate daily kitchen activities to ensure meals are prepared and served safely, accurately, and on time.
- Prepare breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, desserts, and beverages according to approved menus and standardized recipes.
- Ensure meals are nutritious, visually appealing, properly portioned, and appropriate for the senior population.
- Follow resident diet orders, including low-sodium, diabetic-friendly, heart-healthy, mechanical-soft, pureed, thickened-liquid, allergy-sensitive, and other modified diets.
- Review resident diet information and meal tickets before each meal service to prevent dietary errors.
- Communicate dietary changes, food concerns, allergies, poor intake, or resident preferences to the appropriate supervisor or care team.
- Supervise, train, and support cooks, dietary aides, and other kitchen staff.
- Delegate kitchen assignments and ensure all assigned duties are completed thoroughly.
- Train staff on food preparation, portion control, meal presentation, sanitation, infection control, and safe equipment use.
- Monitor food temperatures during receiving, preparation, holding, service, cooling, and storage.
- Maintain required food temperature, sanitation, cleaning, and meal-service documentation.
- Ensure all food is properly labeled, dated, covered, rotated, and stored using first-in, first-out practices.
- Inspect refrigerators, freezers, dry-storage areas, preparation areas, and cooking equipment for cleanliness and safety.
- Maintain a clean, sanitary, and organized kitchen in accordance with facility policies and applicable health regulations.
- Ensure dishes, utensils, cookware, food-contact surfaces, floors, walls, and equipment are cleaned and sanitized properly.
- Assist with menu planning, standardized recipes, portion sizes, substitutions, and seasonal or resident-requested meals.
- Monitor food and supply inventory and report ordering needs to the appropriate supervisor.
- Help control food waste, overproduction, unnecessary spending, and improper portioning.
- Receive and inspect food deliveries for quality, quantity, temperature, expiration dates, and damage.
- Prepare meals for special events, holidays, resident birthdays, activities, family events, and facility celebrations.
- Maintain an adequate emergency food and water supply according to facility requirements.
- Respond appropriately to kitchen emergencies, equipment malfunctions, staffing concerns, and meal-service delays.
- Participate in staff meetings, required training, inspections, quality-improvement activities, and facility events.
- Promote a respectful, calm, and positive dining environment for residents, visitors, and staff.
- Provide courteous service and respond professionally to resident requests, concerns, and meal preferences.
- Follow resident rights, confidentiality, infection-control, safety, and emergency-preparedness policies.
- Perform other duties as assigned by the Dietary Manager, Administrator, or designee.
Qualifications and Experience
- High school diploma or GED preferred.
- Previous cooking experience in a personal care home, assisted living community, nursing facility, hospital, senior-living community, school, restaurant, or high-volume kitchen preferred.
- Previous experience supervising or leading kitchen staff preferred.
- Knowledge of food safety, sanitation, portion control, food storage, and commercial kitchen procedures.
- Familiarity with therapeutic diets, food allergies, texture-modified diets, and senior nutrition preferred.
- Ability to read and follow menus, recipes, resident diet orders, meal tickets, labels, and written instructions.
- Ability to operate commercial kitchen equipment safely and properly.
- Strong organizational, communication, leadership, and time-management skills.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- Ability to remain calm and organized while preparing multiple meals and managing competing priorities.
- Must demonstrate professionalism, patience, dependability, and respect when interacting with older adults and individuals with cognitive or physical limitations.
- Must successfully complete all required background checks, health screenings, orientation, and facility training.
- Food safety certification, such as ServSafe, is preferred or must be obtained within the timeframe established by the facility.
Physical Requirements
- Ability to stand and walk for extended periods.
- Ability to bend, reach, push, pull, lift, and carry kitchen supplies and equipment.
- Ability to lift up to 50 pounds with or without reasonable accommodation.
- Ability to work around heat, steam, sharp utensils, cleaning chemicals, and commercial kitchen equipment.
- Ability to safely perform repetitive food-preparation and cleaning tasks.
Scheduling Requirements
- Must be available to work assigned weekdays, weekends, holidays, and varying shifts based on resident and facility needs.
- Must report to work consistently and arrive on time to ensure uninterrupted meal service.
- Must be willing to assist during staffing shortages, special events, emergencies, or unexpected changes in resident needs.
Performance Expectations
The Lead Cook is expected to maintain a sanitary and inspection-ready kitchen, ensure meals are prepared according to resident dietary requirements, provide effective leadership to kitchen staff, minimize food waste, and contribute to a welcoming and enjoyable dining experience for every resident.
Oasis at Elizabeth is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to maintaining a professional, respectful, and inclusive workplace.
Pay: $16.00 - $17.00 per hour
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Disability insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid sick time
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
License/Certification:
- ServSafe Certificate (Required)
Shift availability:
- Day Shift (Preferred)
- Night Shift (Required)
Ability to Commute:
- Elizabeth, PA 15037 (Required)
Work Location: In person
