The Food Service Worker positions are located in the Nutrition and Food service at the Hines VA Medical Center, Hines, IL. The Food Service Worker performs a variety of duties primarily concerned with food service.

Duties

Food Preparation- Works independently to prepare and cook a variety of items including regular and therapeutic diet (diabetic, low sodium, low protein, gluten free, etc.) entrees and dessert items.- Follows menus, production sheets and recipes to prepare items in the quantity needed.- Cooks hot cereals, concentrated or dehydrated soups, sauces, gravies.- Grills eggs, hamburgers, meat patties, pancakes, French toast; makes cold sandwich fillings and assembles a variety of sandwiches.- Uses a variety of methods to prepare meats, fish, and poultry including broiling, roasting, baking, frying, boiling, steaming, stewing, braising, and grilling- Slices meat items by hand confirming to specific size requirements or weight specifications.- Prepares fresh, canned, and frozen vegetables; bakes frozen potatoes, pre-made cookie dough, muffin batters.- Prepares and heats convenience items; prepares pureed foods and adjusts consistency with thickeners.- Washes, peels and cuts fruits and vegetables by hand or machine. Assembles and mixes salad ingredients and dessert items including gelatin molds and fruit crisps.- Plans cooking processes to produce complete meals on time and at the proper temperature which may require coordination of cooking several items with different cooking times.- Attractively presents and garnishes food.- Makes a variety of desserts such as cobblers, brownies, cookies and pastries.- Washes, peels, chops, grinds, pares, cuts, slices, dices, purees, dredges, flours, breads items.- Weighs, measures, assembles ingredients for regular and modified diets.- Combines ingredients according to recipes to produce quality food items, minimizing preparation time and food waste.- Pans foods for bulk prethermalization according to recipe guidelines and production guidelines.- Covers, dates, and stores leftovers according to established local policies/procedures.- Operates a variety of kitchen equipment: oven, combi oven/steamer, grill, slicer, mixer, steam kettles, blender, food processor, scale; follows safety procedures regarding the operation of equipment.- Gathers test data to assist management in making purchasing and menu pricing decisions. Food Safety/Sanitation- Follows sanitary food handling procedures; covers, labels and dates food items; utilize or discard ingredients by expiration date.- Disassembles and assembles component parts and accessories for cleaning.- Cleans, stores and maintains all kitchen utensils, equipment and work areas practicing a "clean as you go" concept.- Cleans and sanitizes assigned work areas: worktables, sinks, blast chillers, racks, carts.- Achieves certification in food safety such as SERV Safe and is able to apply knowledge of food safety, food temperatures, etc.- Operates dish machine; checks detergent level and water temperature before washing and sanitizing cook's equipment. Checks equipment to make sure it is free of food residue and soap.- Cleans ovens, combi oven/steamer, slicer, mixer, steam kettles, grill daily.- Collects trash, sorts, and prepares items for recycling.- Cleans floors, walls, shelves as assigned.- Performs deep cleaning tasks such as cleaning walk-in refrigerators and freezers. May operate powered floor cleaning or steam equipment for deep cleaning.- Prepares food production worksheets from computerized recipe files. Food Storage- Receives, rotates, and stores perishable and non-perishable items according to service policies. Removes outdated or damaged goods from stock.- Labels all food items with contents and dates per labeling guidelines.- Weighs, measures, and assembles ingredients accurately and according to standardized recipes or requisitions.- Monitor and maintain proper spacing of food products from floor, ceiling and shelving to ensure adequate air flow and spacing of products for optimal food safety.- Monitor for signs of pest notifying the appropriate individual as determined by your local policy.- Maintain accurate food inventories.- Provides assistance to supervisor or higher-grade worker in ordering food in accordance with daily and weekly menu requirements.- Maintains strict security of all areas. Work Schedule: Based on the needs of the service. Will be discussed during hiring. Position Description Title/PD#: Cook/PD99818S Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/05/2024. EXPERIENCE: A specific length of training and experience is not required, but you must show evidence of training or experience of sufficient scope and quality of your ability to do the work of this position. Evidence which demonstrates you possess the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform the duties of this position must be supported by detailed descriptions of such on your resume. Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualification Standards. SCREEN-OUT ELEMENT: Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element, which usually appears as question 1 in the on-line questionnaire. Those applicants who appear to possess at least the minimal acceptable qualification requirement are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated. The potential eligibles are then rated against the remainder of the Job Elements: Dexterity and SafetyInterpret Instructions, Specifications (other than blueprint reading)MaterialsTechnical PracticesUse and Maintain Tools and EquipmentWithout more than normal supervisionWork Practices Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: The work requires light to moderate physical effort with repetitive motion to include continuous standing and walking, frequent stooping, reaching, pushing, pulling, and bending. Frequently lifts or moves objects weighting up to 40 pounds unassisted when pushing carts, unloading trucks, cleaning, or other related heavy work. May be required to perform heavy work such as scouring and scrubbing large size cooking utensils and pushing heavy carts and trucks in unloading, storing, and delivering supplies. May also be required to work on ladders and use powered cleaning equipment. Incumbent may lift objects weighing 50 to 100 pounds or more when covering in the Ingredient Control Room or Warehouse and push/pull carts weighing up to 300 pounds. Sweeps, vacuums, and spot mops floors as required. Must be alert and cautious to avoid falls on wet floors and burns or scalds from hot food, equipment and chemicals and cuts from knives. Working Conditions: The work is performed in kitchen areas where the steam and heat from cooking and dishwashing equipment often causes uncomfortable high temperatures and humidity. The work area is well lit but is usually noisy from food service activities, and there is danger of slipping on floors where food or beverages have been dropped. The worker is regularly exposed to hot liquids, sharp cutting blades, hot working surfaces and extreme temperature changes when entering walk-in refrigeration or freezing units. The employee is required to wear protective shoes and gloves, or other items required by food handling guides. Must be always clean and neat and in proper uniform.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Contacts

• Address Edward Hines Junior Hospital 5000 South 5th Avenue Hines, IL 60141 US
• Name: Latasha Hill
• Phone: 773-885-5727
• Email: [email protected]