Cook (Casual)

**Are you passionate about providing a quality culinary experience? Hospice Halifax is looking for casual cooks to support our Food Services team.**

**Remuneration: $19.03/hr with paid breaks and free parking.**

**Schedule: Kitchen hours are between 7:30am-6:30pm daily, including weekends and holidays. Shifts are 11 hours, including breaks. Casual hours.**

**About us**
Hospice Halifax is a compassionate and supportive community of staff members, volunteers, and donors dedicated to making dying and living as comfortable and meaningful as possible at the end of life. Our hospice residence is an inclusive space where individuals and their families receive personalized and dignified end-of-life care.

Hospice Halifax is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work culture. We continue to take action against racism and discrimination in the workplace and to identify and address systemic barriers to full and equal participation. As such, each member of our team must be committed to fostering a safe working environment where all members of the team experience an authentic sense of inclusion and belonging.

**Hospice Halifax falls under the provincial mandatory vaccine protocol in High-Risk Settings, requiring proof of full vaccination or proof of a medical exemption from a physician.**

**Primary Functions of the Position**
The Casual Cook is responsible for assisting with meal planning, preparing and delivering food services programs to our Hospice patients and families. You are responsible for preparing fresh to order room service menu items for patients and family. You are responsible for the ingredient control of recipes which includes the measuring and portioning of recipe ingredients and the production of food items for patients and family members. This role is also responsible for following: safe food handling procedures, dietary, allergy and menu standards, and providing overall customer service according to departmental standards.

We are looking for someone who has experience providing personalized food service to a small number of patients/clients. Ideally this individual would have experience cooking and have excellent interpersonal skills, be comfortable interacting with elderly people who are dying and with their families.

**Duties and Responsibilities**
- Meets with patients to determine the patient’s preferences and desires for food service that day
- Communicates with team prior to shift regarding daily menu dietary needs and special functions for the day
- As per the established plan of the Kitchen Team Lead, prepares breakfast, lunch and supper for the patients and family members
- Prepares food items for breakfast, lunch and supper to organization standards while also accommodating patients special requests
- Maintains the refreshment centre in the family kitchen, replenishing coffee, tea and baked goods as necessary and ensuring adequate supplies are available for use
- Upholds the utmost standards in food safety, and maintaining currency on food safety requirements
- Monitors quality of food and avoids any unnecessary wastage
- Problem solves circumstances that arise with the menu or supplies
- Makes recommendations to the Kitchen Team Lead on improving food service programs, kitchen facilities and equipment to enhance quality, efficiency, effectiveness and safety
- Supports volunteers in the main kitchen
- Assists with preparation and food service for internal catered events

**Qualifications**
- Experience with food preparation and line cooking, min 1 year
- Training in food safety and a current food safety certificate required
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills with a warm, compassionate and caring attitude
- Must be comfortable talking with patients and their families
- A background in health care or a desire to work in a hospice setting an asset
- Experience providing food services to palliative care patients an asset
- Experience supervising volunteers an asset
- Ability to work with patients/family living with and dying from advanced illness
- Strong patient-centered focus - willingness to go the extra mile when delivering quality service
- Ability to work as part of a team to provide exemplary service for all patients and visitors

Work Environment
- Controlled hours and no late nights
- Frequent physical demands including standing and walking, bending, lifting, pulling, and pushing, and transferring food supplies throughout the shift.
- Ability to work 11 hour shifts
- Willing to work on weekdays, weekends, holidays

**Additional Requirements**
- Supports efforts at reducing, recycling and reusing where appropriate
- May provide general supervision of volunteers on a daily basis
- Support Hospice Halifax in fundraising activities, through participation or other capacity
- Expected to help out in other areas of the Hospice as necessary (e.g. cleaning up spills, maintaining a clean and tidy family kitchen, etc.)
- Represents Hospice Halifax in the community
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