Lead Cook

Camp Tawonga

Job Title: Lead Cook

Job Responsibilities

• Team Work and Leadership
  • Leading a shift with 3-5 people including tone setting, time management, assigning tasks to prep cooks, providing supervision and coaching to prep cooks, and working alongside them to execute meal preparation, service and clean-up.
  • Having a good attitude, it spreads to others.
  • Sharing the desirable and less desirable work.
  • Friendly and constant communication with your team and other Kitchen Supervisors and Prep Cooks on shift.

• Initiative and Responsibility
  • Being on time and prepared, being on time means ready to go with a prep list written and organized before Prep Cooks arrive for shift.
  • Always doing your best, taking pride in a job well done, asking for clarification if you don’t understand what is expected or how to do it safely/correctly.
  • Paying careful attention to allergens and communicating this information to the dining hall lead before meals begin.

• Physical Work
  • You will be on your feet for 8 or more hours in a hot kitchen.
  • You must be able to lift up to 50 lbs. at a time.
  • You are removed from the campers. Find ways of making your work fit into the mission in a supporting role.

• Member of Kitchen Supervisor Team
  • Act as a role model for staff at all times, upholding the values of Camp and the Tawonga Kitchen.
  • Have regular check-ins with the Kitchen Manager and Assistant Kitchen Manager to ensure the smooth running of the kitchen; give input for weekly menu.
  • Attend weekly all-staff meetings at 10:15p every Wednesday.  Attend weekly kitchen supervisor meetings at 8:15p every Monday.  Attend and participate in running weekly kitchen staff meetings at 1:45p every Tuesday.
  • Train and support prep cooks and write evaluations of prep cooks two times over the summer.

Day in the Life

• Each Lead Cook is scheduled daily on one of three shifts
  • AM Shift: begins between 5:00a and 6:00a (sometimes earlier, depending on menu). Responsible for preparing, serving, and clearing Breakfast and Lunch 
  • PM Shift: begins at 1:45p.  Responsible for preparing, serving, and clearing Dinner
  • Late Shift: begins at 3:45p.  Responsible for preparing, serving, and clearing Late Night Snack and Breakfast prep 
• Facilitate all meal preparation, cooking, serving, clearing, and cleaning by executing some tasks and delegating others to Prep Cooks throughout the entire shift.  Additionally, if there is extra time, prepare items for the following meal.
• For AM Shift: Oversee that all surfaces are cleared and bleached, floors swept, trash emptied, trash cans relined, entire Dish Room cleaned, Dining Hall service counter wiped down, and Coffee Bar cleared, organized, and restocked.
• For PM Shift: Same as AM plus floors mopped and plates, bowls, cups, and dish racks put back in their place in the kitchen.
• For Late Shift: Oversee that all surfaces are cleared and bleached, floors spot swept, entire Dish Room cleaned, Dining Hall service counter wiped down, and Coffee Bar cleared, organized, restocked, and shut down for the night.

Lead Cooks are listed 6 days/week on the kitchen schedule. You must be ready to work at the listed start time of each shift. It is your responsibility to know your schedule and show up for work on time, well rested, fed, and ready to work.

All staff must adhere to camp-wide and position-specific COVID related safety protocols. Staff are required to be up to date on all vaccinations including COVID-19, provide negative COVID test results prior to arriving for work and will need to get periodically tested throughout the summer. We will provide hired staff more information upon hire or as more information becomes available.