Under direction of the Child Care Center Director, performs a variety of food service tasks, including planning, preparing, cooking and serving a wide range of simple to moderately complex food items, meals and dishes.

• Prepare, cook, and serve a variety of foods for children in a cafeteria or sit down setting

• Operate standard and large kitchen appliances and equipment such as electric/ gas/ microwave ovens, grills, electric mixers, and slicers

• Serve food to children

• Wash dishes, pots, pans and utensils and do general clean up tasks in the kitchen and child care center areas

• Maintain inventory, store food, equipment, utensils and other supplies

• Assist in training and supervising other classified and student workers in cooking and related preparation and clean up tasks

• Assist other food service employees in preparing and serving of food items

• Set up and breakdown the serving counter area

• Maintain safety, health and sanitation standards

• Lead person or assist in planning daily/weekly menu, ordering food and supplies, including picking them up from local vendors

• Report, in a timely manner and according to established procedure, all safety and sanitation problems to the supervisor

• Keep accurate records of food requirements required by the State of California

• Perform related duties as assigned.

Knowledge of:

• Methods of quantity food preparation; kitchen sanitation and safety practices

• Basic nutrition principles

• Care and use of standard and large food service appliances, equipment and utensils

• Methods of computing food quantities required by menus.

Skills in:

• Preparing and cooking a variety of food items including the more complex dishes

• Operating standard and large food service appliances, equipment and utensils

• Reading and writing at a level necessary for successful job performance

• Following and giving oral and written directions

• Performing applicable mathematic calculations; establishing and maintaining effective working relationships.

Physical Characteristics:

• Primarily indoor work environment: kitchen, snack bar, food service area. 

• Environment contains stove and appliances

• Moderate to heavy lifting, carrying and pulling of objects up to approximately 50 lbs

• Frequent standing, walking, squatting and bending.

This position is primarily in an indoor working environment.

• Two years of commercial cooking experience AND formal or informal training in quantity food preparation and kitchen maintenance

• OR any combination of sufficient training and experience to demonstrate the knowledge and skills required.

• Possession of a valid driver's license; evidence of a satisfactory driving record. 

• Additional certificates may be required by special funded program regulations and/or local and State public health agencies.