Job Summary

Cook meats, fish, vegetables, soups and other hot food products as well as prepare and portion food products prior to cooking. Also perform other duties in the areas of food and final plate preparation including plating and garnishing of cooked items and preparing appropriate garnishes for all hot menu item plates.

Activities & Responsibilities

Primary

• Promote, work, and act in a manner consistent with the mission of KOOKY CANUCK: We are in the service industry, and our clientele is our lifeblood. The clientele literally pays all the bills and should be treated accordingly. It is our goal to satisfy our guests in a manner such that we ensure their return. We offer a casual dining experience, as it is our intention to appeal to everyone in the general public. We want all of our guests to feel comfortable and at home. Hospitality starts from the moment a guest enters our restaurant and it is our job to make sure that their experience is a positive one. The ambiance of the dining room and the cleanliness throughout the restaurant are crucial to providing total service to our guests but is the employees that truly make the difference. Being focused on results and surpassing the guest’s standards will result in turning a consumer into a loyal guest. Bottom line: Smile, Have Fun, and Always put the guest first.
• Inspect and clean, and maintain food preparation areas, such as equipment and work surfaces, or serving areas to ensure safe and sanitary food-handling practices.
• Ensure food is stored and cooked at correct temperature by regulating temperature of ovens, broilers, grills, fryers, roasters, and other kitchen equipment.
• Ensure freshness of food and ingredients by checking for quality, keeping track of old and new items, and rotating stock.
• Knows and complies consistently with the restaurant’s standard portion sizes, cooking methods, quality standards and kitchen rules, policies and procedures.
• Responsible for the quality of products served.
• Stocks and maintains sufficient levels of food products at line stations to support a smooth service period.
• Handles, stores, and rotates all food products and supplies according to restaurant policies and procedures.
• Turn or stir foods to ensure even cooking.
• Season and cook food according to recipes or personal judgment and experience.
• Bake, roast, broil, and steam meats, fish, vegetables, and other foods.
• Weigh, measure, and mix ingredients according to recipes or personal judgment, using various kitchen utensils and equipment.
• Portion, arrange, and garnish food, according to standard portion sizes and recipe specifications and serve food to servers or guests.
• Observe and test foods to determine if they have been cooked sufficiently, using methods such as tasting, smelling, or piercing them with utensils.
• Follow proper plate presentation and garnish set up for all dishes.
• Wash, peel, cut, and seed fruits and vegetables to prepare them for consumption.
• Carve and trim meats such as beef, veal, ham, pork, and lamb for hot or cold service, or for sandwiches.
• Assists in food prep assignments during off-peak periods as needed.
• Substitute for or assist other cooks during emergencies or rush periods.
• Closes the kitchen following the closing checklist for kitchen stations and assists others in closing the kitchen.
• Attend all scheduled employee meetings and offers suggestions for improvement.
• Coordinate with and assist fellow employees to meet guests’ needs and support the operation of the restaurant.
• Fill-in for fellow employees where needed to ensure guest service standards and efficient operations.

Supplemental

• Consult with supervisory staff to plan menus, taking into consideration factors such as costs and special event needs.
• Keep records and accounts.
• Coordinate and supervise work of kitchen staff.
• Prepare relishes and hors d'oeuvres.
• Estimate expected food consumption, requisition or purchase supplies, or procure food from storage.
• Butcher and dress animals, fowl, or shellfish, or cut and bone meat prior to cooking.
• Plan and price menu items.
• Bake breads, rolls, cakes, and pastries.

Tools & Technology (examples in parentheses)

• Commercial use:
• blenders, grinders, slicers
• broilers, convection ovens, deep fryers, griddles, grills, microwave ovens, ranges, rotisseries, steamers
• cutlery (boning knives, chefs' knives, paring knives)
• ovens (conveyor ovens, rotating rack ovens, salamander ovens, pizza ovens, smokers or smoke ovens)
• Cutting machinery
• Domestic knives (cimeter knives, filet knives, utility knives)
• Food safety labeling systems
• Personal computers
• Point of sale terminal
• Slicing machinery
• Menu planning software 
• Inventory management software
• Recipe cost control software
• Point-of-sale software (Compris Advanced Manager's Workstation; Compris; Hospitality Control Solutions Aloha Point-of-Sale; ICVERIFY; Intuit QuickBooks Point of Sale; MICROS Systems HSI Profits Series; NCR Advanced Checkout Solution; NCR NeighborhoodPOS; The General Store; ClubSoft Food & Beverage Point of Sale; DataTeam Lunch Express; Dinerware Intuitive Restaurant; Food Service Solutions POSitive ID System; Restaurant Manager)
• Spreadsheet software (Microsoft Excel)