Assistant Cook

Major Duties

• Assists in the cooking, salad and baking duties. Cooking duties include, but are not limited to: the preparation of entrees, roasts, poultry, sauces, soups, gravies, fried foods, and accompaniments as directed by an F-4 First Cook/Sous Chef.
• Operates food processing equipment including slicers, hand implements and other utensils to prepare ingredients.
• Combines ingredients in accordance with standardized recipes and production sheets.
• Cooks items, portions and garnishes finished products.
• Operates a wide range of cooking equipment.
• In the absence of F-3 Second Cook, may be required to assist in the direction of utility food workers assigned to cooking duties and in evaluating recipes and final products, monitoring and stocking serving lines, and other cooking duties.
• Maintains work area in a neat, clean and orderly condition and maintains strict compliance with all federal, state and University standards for cleanliness and sanitation. All work is performed in accordance with established sanitation and safety practices.
• Comply with all OSHA/MIOSHA regulations and requirements governing the operation of mechanical and electrical food processing equipment and of cooking equipment, including ovens, steam devices and fryers.
• Performs other functions as requested by supervisory personnel.

Minimum Qualifications

• Must be able to read and comprehend all written instructions, all health and sanitation regulations, and all safety regulations and requirements governing the performance of job duties.
• Sufficient reading comprehension to accurately interpret written recipes and production sheets is required, as are sufficient writing skills to prepare requisitions, recipe evaluation sheets and production summary sheets.
• Basic knowledge of mathematical concepts including fractions, decimal fractions and percentages in order to proportionally increase and decrease standard recipes to produce required quantities of menu items in the absence of higher ranking cooks.
• Minimum of one year of experience in commercial food preparation is required.
• Must be able to cook all meats, soups, sauces, entrees and vegetables according to the standards established by University Dining Services.
• Must be able to provide training and direction for other salad preparation positions including baking.
• Must be able to enter maneuver in restricted spaces.
• Must have sufficient vision with or without corrective lenses in order to accurately read recipes, production sheets and labels.
• A physical examination administered by the employer's designated physician is required.

Desired Qualifications Special Instructions to Applicants

Bid Procedures:

• All University employees represented by AFSCME Local 1668, and non-AFSCME regular and temporary University employees, who have the present ability or required qualifications to satisfactorily perform the required work may exercise bidding privileges on this position.
• Current AFSCME employees must complete the online Bid Sheet only.
• Non-AFSCME University employees must submit the online WMU - Internal Application.
• Temporary employees must submit the online WMU Application.
• External applicants should use the WMU Application.

Additional Position Information

• FTE 0.69; 40.00 hours per week, Academic Year.
• Rotation Schedule is Monday - Friday 12:30pm - 9:00pm or Monday - Friday 2:00pm - 9:00pm, plus a 7 hour shift every other weekend.
• This posting will be used to fill multiple vacancies.
• A physical examination administered by the employer's designated physician is required to determine the incumbent's ability to perform the essential functions of the job and/or to identify the needs for reasonable job accommodations.
• Western Michigan University offers generous benefits to its employees including health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, retirement, and tuition discount for the employee and tuition remission for eligible dependents. To access information about the specific benefits available for this position, go to:
• Above is a summary of the job description for the position of Assistant Cook. A complete description for this position may be reviewed up on request in the Department of Human Resources, Room 1270 Seibert Administration Building, or online at:

Physical requirements and working conditions