Cafeteria Assistant

We are seeking a highly motivated and detail-oriented Cafeteria Assistant to join our team at McDowell County Schools. As a Cafeteria Assistant, you will play a vital role in ensuring the smooth operation of our school cafeterias, providing excellent customer service, and maintaining a clean and safe environment for our students and staff.

• Assist the Cafeteria Manager in overseeing kitchen operations, including food preparation, serving, and cleaning.
• Organize and train staff on food production, food service activities, and record management.
• May function as a cook, cashier, server, or helper, depending on the needs of the cafeteria.
• Assist in maintaining National School Lunch Program (NSLP) compliance and accurate records of Free and Reduced meals.
• Perform routine tasks such as food preparation, serving, cleaning, food temperature checks, cashiering, and sanitation tasks.
• Submit food and non-food orders, payroll, attendance, production sheets, inventory, maintenance, and equipment requests correctly and timely.
• Use a computer to order foods and supplies according to established specifications and procedures.
• Reports to the Cafeteria Manager.

• Prepares, cooks, and serves meals according to specified standardized recipes.
• Uses batch cooking methods and replenishes the warming cabinets and/or serving line(s) to maintain properly cooked food items during the serving period.
• Ensures safe and sanitary practices in all phases of the TPHC procedures, meeting or exceeding established health department and HACCP standards.
• Unpacks and carries canned and fresh fruits and vegetables, and frozen processed meats from storage to the food preparation area.
• Transports breads, rolls, desserts, and other items to specified areas; transfers food items from cooking equipment to serving lines.
• Assists manager in ordering correct quantity of foods, ensuring receiving, storing, handling, preparing, and serving of food are performed according to established standards.
• Provides oversight of storage for all food and non-food supplies, ensuring compliance with recommended storage requirements.
• May serve meals or supplemental menu items, answer inquiries pertaining to food and meal items, and provide excellent customer service.
• Prepares fresh fruits and vegetables, assembles salads, wraps sandwiches, pans food items, bakes cookies, and assembles items for meal service at future times and/or locations.
• Preps the serving line with appropriate condiments and paper products, monitors to ensure cleanliness and stocked throughout serving period.
• Acts as cashier or back-up during breakfast or lunch serving period, maintaining financial integrity for purchased meals and other foods in the cafeteria.
• Collects and records advanced payments for lunches and breakfasts, recording amount paid in accordance with established procedures to maintain accurate student files.
• May assist manager with preparation of deposit and may deliver or secure bank deposit in manager's absence.
• Enforces standards of cleanliness, health, and safety collection, supports and assists in the sanitation process, and maintains proper sanitizer levels in all sinks and containers.
• Assists with wrapping, recording, labeling, dating, and putting away food at end of serving time, records leftovers, and maintains accurate records of foods used, produced, and served on food production record.
• Must follow workplace safety procedures, including the use of safety and personal protective equipment.
• Ability to set priorities and allocate time so that tasks are completed and deadlines are met in a timely manner.
• Ability to select and organize materials needed to perform tasks and to return supplies to the proper storage places.
• General knowledge of food preparation, standards of sanitation and safety, TPHC and HACCP procedures.
• General knowledge of proper storage methods for various foods, supplies, and equipment.
• General knowledge of how to operate and clean kitchen equipment.
• General knowledge of the importance of using standardized recipes and ability to follow them.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment, use initiative to resolve problems, and make improvements in the cafeteria operation.
• Ability to properly clean and sanitize kitchen area, equipment, and utensils.
• Ability to follow established policies and procedures.

• A High School Diploma and a minimum of 5 years of experience in the preparation of foods in an institutional setting or childcare.