Cook in Bayville, New Jersey at Quantum Behavioral Health

Key Responsibilities

Kitchen & Dietary Operations

• Direct and oversee daily kitchen, dietary, and food-service operations.
• Prepare and supervise the preparation, cooking, portioning, and distribution of meals and snacks.
• Ensure approved menus, recipes, portions, meal schedules, and authorized menu substitutions are followed.
• Ensure documented food allergies, therapeutic or medically ordered diets, texture modifications, and other dietary restrictions are followed accurately.
• Communicate dietary questions or discrepancies to appropriate nursing, clinical, dietary, or administrative personnel before making unauthorized changes.
• Maintain appropriate food and supply inventory and assist with purchasing, ordering, receiving, and stock rotation as assigned.

Food Safety, Sanitation & Compliance

• Ensure food is received, stored, prepared, cooked, held, cooled, reheated, and served in accordance with applicable New Jersey food-safety requirements and facility procedures.
• Monitor required food temperatures and ensure temperature, refrigerator/freezer, sanitation, and cleaning records are completed accurately.
• Prevent cross-contamination and allergen cross-contact through appropriate food handling, storage, labeling, cleaning, and staff practices.
• Monitor food quality, freshness, expiration dates, labeling, dating, storage, and stock rotation.
• Maintain the kitchen, storage areas, equipment, utensils, and food-preparation areas in a clean and sanitary condition.
• Ensure dietary employees follow required hand hygiene, employee health, infection-prevention, sanitation, and food-safety procedures.

Behavioral Healthcare Safety Responsibilities

• Ensure knives, sharps, cleaning chemicals, kitchen equipment, restricted utensils, and other potentially hazardous items are secured and controlled in accordance with facility safety procedures.
• Immediately report missing or unaccounted-for knives, sharps, chemicals, restricted utensils, or other potentially hazardous items.
• Promptly identify and report unsafe conditions, equipment malfunctions, suspected food contamination, pest activity, or other health and safety hazards.
• Follow facility procedures during medical, behavioral, fire, severe weather, evacuation, and other emergency situations.
• Support a safe kitchen environment for individuals served, staff, visitors, and vendors.

Client Rights, Confidentiality & Reporting

• Treat individuals receiving services with dignity and respect and protect their rights, privacy, and confidentiality.
• Maintain professional boundaries with individuals receiving services.
• Access protected health information only to the minimum extent necessary to perform assigned dietary responsibilities.
• Immediately report suspected abuse, neglect, exploitation, mistreatment, rights violations, significant incidents, or other safety concerns in accordance with applicable reporting requirements and facility policy.
• Comply with HIPAA, 42 CFR Part 2, and facility confidentiality requirements.

Training & Competency

• Complete orientation, annual training, competencies, and certifications within established timeframes.
• Maintain food-safety certification required for the employee’s assigned responsibilities and the facility’s food-service operation.
• When designated as the facility’s Certified Food Protection Manager or person in charge, maintain certification accepted by the New Jersey Department of Health and comply with applicable coverage requirements.
• Maintain CPR/BLS and/or First Aid certification when required by facility policy or applicable program requirements.
• Perform other duties within the scope of the position as assigned.

Compliance Expectations

• Comply with New Jersey Department of Health food-service requirements and applicable local health department requirements.
• Comply with New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and other requirements applicable to Torch Recovery’s licensed services.
• Comply with OSHA standards, facility infection-prevention procedures, emergency procedures, and workplace safety requirements.
• Maintain all training, certifications, background clearances, and competencies required for the assigned position.
• Maintain regular and dependable attendance.

Rate of Pay: $17-22.00 per hour based on experience

Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, Supplemental, 401K

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required. Culinary education or formal food-service training preferred.
• Two years of food preparation, culinary, institutional food service, healthcare food service, or comparable experience preferred.
• Must possess or obtain food-safety certification required for assigned responsibilities and the facility’s food-service operation.
• Must successfully complete and maintain all criminal background, fingerprint, registry, and other employment-clearance requirements applicable to the facility and position.
• Valid driver’s license required only when driving is an essential function of the assigned position.

Work Environment

• Commercial kitchen and behavioral healthcare treatment environment.
• May involve exposure to hot surfaces, ovens, steam, sharp utensils, cleaning chemicals, wet floors, food allergens, refrigeration/freezer temperatures, and other normal kitchen hazards.
• May involve interaction with individuals receiving substance use disorder and behavioral health services.
• Requires schedule flexibility to support safe and timely meal service and emergency response needs.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods.
• Ability to bend, reach, push, pull, and perform repetitive hand movements.
• Ability to safely lift and/or move approximately 25 pounds independently; assistance or appropriate equipment should be used when necessary for heavier items.
• Visual, auditory, and communication abilities sufficient to perform dietary, safety, and emergency-response responsibilities.
• Reasonable accommodations will be considered for qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with applicable law.