Culinary Director

Ready to Join a winning team?

At Madonna Gardens Assisted Living and Memory Care, we value individuality and strong team connectivity. Our team members are compassionate, dedicated, and committed to providing high-quality care while creating relationships with our residents, families, and other staff members.

Madonna Gardens Assisted Living and Memory Care is the premier Assisted Living and Memory Care community in Salinas. We specialize in a wide range of support and guidance for residents through specific programming for care, activities, socialization, and dining.

Job Summary:

Provide overall supervision and direction for dining services program, catering, the dining room, and room service programs. The Culinary Director is also responsible for delivering these programs in a manner that exceeds residents' expectations and provides the Community with additional revenues.

Schedule:

9am - 5:30pm

Tuesday - Saturday

Pay Rate:

$70,000 - $73,000 Annually

Job Duties (Essential Functions):

• Support the mission, vision, and culture of the organization through positive communication and leadership.
• Contribute to Community relationships by demonstrating cooperation and professional conduct with residents, families, fellow associates, physicians, pharmacies and other vendors or persons.
• Contribute to team effort by being flexible in work assignments; by furnishing support; by taking initiative; and by understanding how this position affects and compliments all other Community positions.
• Able to maintain work pace appropriate to given work load. Perform activities on schedule while maintaining regular attendance and punctuality within specified tolerance.
• Supervise kitchen and dining room staff, provide training, set and adjust rates of pay and hours of work, provide informal and formal performance feedback, recognize both appropriate and inappropriate behaviors/performances through rewards and discipline, and apportion work among subordinates.
• Perform all cook functions as necessary, serving 2-4 shifts a week as required by the Executive Director.
• Order food and kitchen supplies from approved vendors and maintain good communication with all vendors. Record and maintain adequate food inventory and complete reports as required by the company.
• Follow all the company's dietary policies and procedures and ensure compliance by other food service employees.
• Ensure that employees practice safe food-handling techniques and comply with federal, state, county, and city regulations regarding health, safety, and sanitation.
• Ensure that personnel who display signs of communicable diseases are not working.
• Hold regularly scheduled staff meetings with all dining room personnel to ensure efficient kitchen operations and to foster open communication.
• Participate in New Hire Orientation program and other regular associate meetings or functions.
• Support all catering services and help plan theme evenings, dinners, picnics, special parties, etc., with Activities Director and food service staff.
• Maintain open communication with the cooks when planning events requiring special menus.
• Make catering sales presentations to appropriate individuals, organizations, clubs, and businesses.
• Instruct employees in the use, care, cleaning, and maintenance of all kitchen equipment and ensure that all equipment is in good working condition.
• Maintain knowledge of all food service positions and provide hands-on assistance when necessary.
• Train cook and dining room staff to assume positions, duties, and responsibilities of absent staff.
• Prepare time slips, invoices, etc., for payment and turn in to Business Office.
• Check or assign all food deliveries against order forms.
• Establish and monitor a proper cleaning and maintenance program.
• Maintain a score of 90 or above on all health inspections.
• Achieve satisfactory ratings on the company's Resident Satisfactions Survey as related to the food service categories.
• Ensure all required licenses are up to date.
• Train all employees in proper method of telephoning 911 and the circumstances under which calls to 911 are appropriate.
• Ensure all kitchen staff are trained in relieving choking symptoms.
• Promote advanced training in culinary activities.
• Assure that at least one "heart healthy" entrée and one "sugar-free" dessert is offered daily.
• Assure that consistent portion-control is maintained, unless upon resident request.
• Assure that daily meal tickets are tallied correctly and given to the Business Office in a timely manner.
• Assure that all food service employees receive appropriate orientation training, follow-up training, and conduct house training as necessary.
• Participate in regularly scheduled department head meetings.
• Hire and train assigned staff as appropriate, assuring that all paperwork is correctly performed and that appropriate policies are being followed.
• Check menus for each following day to ensure necessary preparatory work is being performed.
• Conduct tours.

Added Responsibilities:

• Respond appropriately to changes in the work setting.
• Perform other related assignments as required.
• Be familiar with the company's Policies & Procedures Manual and The Company's Staff Handbook.
• Be prepared to work in any area of the department.

Accountabilities:

• Act on constructive feedback by listening to supervisor(s), customers and peers and use it to improve performance.
• Maintain resident, employee, and community confidentiality.
• Respect Resident's Rights.
• Demonstrate positive attitude and ability to work well with all people, particularly the elderly.
• Promote positive work environment that emphasizes teamwork.
• Demonstrate willingness to help other staff whenever needed.
• Project and meet budgeting requirements.
• Demonstrate awareness of sanitation regulations in handling and storing food.
• Demonstrate awareness of safety rules in the kitchen.

Job Specifications (Skill):

• This position requires a high school diploma or equivalent certificate, a minimum of two years study or certification in the hospitality industry, and five or more years experience in food service management, supervision, food purchasing, safety, sanitation, and menu preparation.
• Possess knowledge of sanitation procedures.
• Competent working knowledge of Microsoft Office products.
• Be able to work well under pressure.
• Promote positive work environment that emphasizes teamwork.
• Demonstrate positive attitude and ability to work well with all people, particularly the elderly.
• May be required to hold valid First Aid Certification.

Effort:

• Maintain mental alertness, attention, and concentration for necessary periods.
• Apply common sense understanding and carry out instructions (written, oral or diagrammatic).
• Adapt to situations requiring the precise attainment of set limits, tolerances, or standards.
• Regularly required to stand for extended periods, sit and talk or listen.
• Able to stand, stoop and bend frequently, lift up to 50 pounds and push up to 50pounds. Also must have the ability to talk, hear, sit, use hands and fingers, handle/feel objects, tools or controls, and reach with hands and arms.
• Specific vision requirements for this job include close vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust the focus of the eyes.
• Possess adequate physical stamina to move freely about the Community and assist residents where needed, including in emergency situations.
• The physical demands described must be met by every staff. Reasonable accommodations may be considered to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

Working Conditions:

• Must be willing and able to work required and scheduled shifts, including evenings, weekends, overtime and holidays.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate to noisy.
• Withstand heat from cooking area and cold from below-zero freezer.