Cook Jobs

The Position

Contra Costa County is home to more than one million residents and was one of the original 27 counties established in California in 1850. Contra Costa County is dedicated to providing public services which improve the quality of life of our residents and the economic viability of our businesses. Contra Costa County is recognized as a world-class service organization where innovation and partnerships merge to enable our residents to enjoy a safe, healthy, and prosperous life.

Contra Costa County is accepting applications for the Cook classification. Cooks are employed throughout Contra Costa County within the Probation and Health Services Departments. The current vacancy is within the Health Services Department, however, the resulting eligible list may be used to fill future vacancies within the County.

Positions in this class work at either Contra Costa County Regional Medical Center or at a county juvenile institution and are responsible for the preparation and service of meals and the maintenance of a clean and orderly kitchen. In a juvenile institution, direction over others is involved in the preparation and service of meals and kitchen maintenance.

We are looking for someone who is:

• Effective in communicating and working with others. You will work with internal staff and the public to meet their food needs.
• Committed to preparing quality meals. You will provide food that is edible and nutritious.
• Passionate for food and cooking. You will be cooking recipes for people to eat and enjoy.
• Experienced with preparing and cooking food in large quantities. You will be providing food to large groups.
• Aware of maintaining a clean and sanitary environment. You will cook food in an environment that needs to be well maintained.

What you will typically be responsible for:

• Receiving and inspecting food
• Training kitchen staff on proper performance of their duties
• Preparing and cooking a variety of food
• Preparing special diets or food trays when necessary
• Providing guidance in preparing meals, cleaning the kitchen, and ensuring cooking equipment is clean

A few reasons you might love this job:

• You will have the opportunity for culinary input and collaboration with the management team
• You will cook for the patient population
• You will get to discover new flavor horizons as we cook for diverse patients and staff
• You will be able to do what you love every day
• You will get to enhance the useful, everyday skill of cooking

A few challenges you might face in this job:

• You will work in an area with ovens and steamers that produce heat
• You may face difficult situations with some patrons
• You will work in a fast-paced environment
• You will need to be mindful of portion sizes and ensure the recipes make the appropriate amount of food

Competencies Required:

• Self-Management: Showing personal organization, self-discipline, and dependability
• Decision Making: Choosing optimal courses of action in a timely manner
• Professional Integrity & Ethics: Displaying honesty, adherence to principles, and personal accountability
• Handling Stress: Maintaining emotional stability and self-control under pressure, challenge, or adversity
• Action & Results Focused (Taking Initiative): Initiating tasks and focusing on accomplishment
• Displaying Ownership and Accountability: Holding self and others accountable for measurable high-quality, timely, and cost-effective results
• General Physical Ability: Using strength, endurance, flexibility, balance, and coordination
• Manual Dexterity: Using senses, hands, and fingers in manipulating objects quickly and efficiently
• Safety Focus: Showing vigilance and care in identifying and addressing health risks and safety hazards
• Professional Impact: Presenting self as a positive representative of the organization

Minimum Qualifications

Experience: One year of full time experience, or its equivalent, as a cook in an institutional setting (such as hospital, detention facility, armed forces, cafeteria, commercial high volume food service corporation, hotel, restaurant or similar facility) preparing meals for large groups of fifty or more.

Substitution: Possession of a certificate in food production from an accredited college or vocational institution, which included courses in quantity food preparation, equipment, sanitation and safety, may be substituted for six months of the required experience.

Desirable Qualifications:

• ServSafe Certification

Selection Process

• Multiple Choice Assessment: Candidates who clearly demonstrate that they possess the minimum qualifications will be invited to participate in an online multiple-choice assessment. The assessment will measure candidates' competencies as they relate to the Cook classification. These may include, but are not limited to: displaying ownership and accountability; professional integrity and ethics; actions and results focus; safety focus; self-management; decision making; handling stress (weighted 100%)
• Application Filing and Evaluation: Applicants will be required to complete a supplemental questionnaire at the time of application, applications will be evaluated to determine which candidates will move forward in the next phase of the recruitment process.

The Multiple Choice Assessment will tentatively take place via computer (remotely) the week of August 21st, 2023.

The assessment will be administered remotely using a computer. You will need access to a reliable internet connection to take the assessment. It is not recommended to take the assessment using a cell phone.

Note: For positions within the Probation Department, candidates will be required to successfully complete a thorough background investigation. Furthermore, candidates shall not have been convicted of a felony as an adult or juvenile in this or any other state or in a federal jurisdiction, or of any offense in any other state or in any federal jurisdiction which would have been a felony if committed in this state.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) policy is expiring effective August 4, 2023
On November 5, 2021, the CMS issued a COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement for certain healthcare staff. If you accept a position in Health Services, you may be subject to this policy. More information about this can be found at 2023-11449.pdf (federalregister.gov).