Food Service Specialist

Food Service Specialist

Positions in this job family are involved in working with inmates to handle, prepare, cook, and serve food for regular, modified, and special diets at a state correctional facility. This includes maintaining clean and sanitary work, preparation and serving areas.

Typical functions include:

• Monitoring and guiding inmates working in food service.
• Preparing foods, salads, and desserts; cooking or baking a variety of items.
• Supplying unit with meat, fish, or fowl as ordered; cutting and preparing meat.
• Cleaning and preparing foods using tools such as knives, slicers, and peelers, and equipment such as ovens and steamers.
• Following written diet orders and master menu.
• Operating dishwasher; gathering, cleaning, stacking, and hand washing or scouring pots, pans, dishes, silverware, and other cooking and baking utensils.
• Removing refuse from kitchen area.
• Sweeping, mopping, and scrubbing kitchen, dining, and storage areas.
• Labeling, loading, and delivering food carts or trays; picking up trays after use.
• Defrosting and cleaning refrigerators, walk-in coolers, and related equipment.
• Maintaining inventory by properly storing and rotating stock.

Level Descriptor:

Level I: This is the basic level of this job family where employees are assigned simple and routine duties of handling, preparing, and serving food in a state correctional facility. In this role, they will perform tasks such as preparing toast, tea, and coffee, and maintaining the cleanliness of the food service area.

Level II: This is the career level of this job family where employees are assigned responsibility for a variety of tasks involved in preparing and serving meals in a state correctional facility. This includes using items for cooking and baking, cutting and preparing meat, poultry or fish, and frying or roasting foods. Positions are also responsible for the direction of others, performing simple and routine duties involving the handling and serving of food, and maintaining a clean and sanitary work area. In this role, they will make recommendations for future food needs, receive and store food, and assist with serving food.

Level III: This is the leadership level of the job family where employees are assigned responsibility for performing highly skilled work involving the operation of an institutional food service unit and supervising other food service specialists in the requisition, storage, cooking, baking, and serving of food, the preparation of meats, poultry and fish for cooking, and the inspection and maintenance of sanitary kitchen and work areas. Under the direction of a nutrition therapist, some positions at this level will do nutritional assessments, ongoing charting in dietary progress notes, and communicate with nursing and nutrition departments on patient concerns.

Level IV: At this level, employees are assigned responsibility for the administration of a food service unit and activities of assigned staff, which may include employees, inmates, and/or others in the preparation and serving of food in a state correctional facility. In this role, they will provide direction to staff members in completing assigned work and ensure completion of required activities. Responsibilities will also be assigned for interpreting menus and menu instructions, ensuring proper hygiene and sanitation methods are followed, inspecting kitchen and dining areas, requisitioning supplies and maintaining a storeroom.

Knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies required at each level include knowledge of basic food preparation techniques; of food service operations; of proper sanitation practices; of basic mathematics; of ingredients used in baking and cooking; of food storage, preparation and cooking; of recipe usage; of standard weights and measures used in cooking and in calculating and measuring ingredients; of operation of kitchen equipment and utensils; of practices and problems of meat storage and preparation; of modern methods and materials used in large scale baking, cooking, and meat cutting; of cutting, mixing and adding ingredients to all types of meat; of sanitary and health standards; of supervisory principles and practices; and of basic nutrition. Ability is required to carry out routine tasks to completion; to follow oral and written instructions; to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others; to prepare and cook foods, baked goods and meat; to follow written and oral instructions; to direct the work of food service personnel; to use a variety of tools and knives to cut or slice meat and other foods; to control food stock; and to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.

Education and experience requirements consist of one, two, or three years of experience in commercial or institutional food service or an equivalent combination of education and experience, substituting one year of vocational or technical school training in food preparation for the required experience.

Some positions may require possession of a valid driver's license at time of appointment.