Food Service Worker Job at Department of Veterans Affairs in Tacoma

This is a Part-Time position, and you will serve as a Food Service Worker with the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System located in Tacoma, Washington. Duties include but are not limited to:

• Serve uniform portions of food to customer'/patients'/residents' plates.
• Break down and clean stations.
• Set up dining room tables for service, place food and beverages on tables, and replenish items.
• Return soiled trays and dishes to the dish room.
• Deliver meal trays to the patients' bedside and report the patients' comments and complaints to the supervisor or dietitian.
• Prepare beverages according to the number of servings required.
• Prepare fresh fruit, cold salads, dressings, sandwich fillings, cold sandwiches, and simple cold desserts in specified quantities.
• Sort, wash, peel and cut cold foods using knives or other equipment.
• Assist cooks in the food preparation area, such as weighing, measuring, and assembling ingredients according to standardized recipes.
• Prepare uncooked food items, such as sandwich spread and salad dressings.
• Operate and break down and clean all equipment assigned to food service and related areas.
• Portion food items into standard serving sizes using the proper utensils and specified dishware.
• Prepare boxed/to go meals.
• Select and place correct items on patient trays.
• Read and interpret a regular or modified menu, individual diet cards, and tray tickets for patient selections.
• Identify obvious discrepancies between the prescribed diets and the food items designated by the menu.
• Decide what food items to serve for the most common diets.
• Perform heavy-duty cleaning tasks throughout the food service and related areas Separate food waste, trash/recyclables from dishes, glasses and silverware.
• Unload food/tray delivery carts.
• Store sanitized dishes, glasses, and silverware.
• Scrape, soak, scour, and scrub cookware and utensils.
• Move garbage cans when collecting and transferring trash from the work area to the disposal area.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Thursday through Monday, 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM PDT. Position Description Title/PD#: Food Service Worker/PD99920S Physical Requirements: Perform work requiring light to moderate physical effort. Food Service Workers may be required to perform heavy work, such as scouring and scrubbing large size cooking utensils and pushing heavy carts and trucks in unloading, storing, and delivering supplies. They are subject to continuous standing and walking, and frequent stooping, reaching, pushing, pulling, and bending. May be required to work on ladders and use powered cleaning equipment. They frequently lift or move objects weighing up to 20 pounds unassisted and occasionally lift or move objects weighing more than 40 pounds with the assistance of others. Work Conditions: The work is performed in kitchen areas where the steam and heat from cooking and dishwashing equipment often cause uncomfortably high temperatures and humidity. The work area is well lit but usually noisy from food service activities, and there is danger of slipping on floors where food or beverages have been dropped. Food service workers are regularly exposed to hot liquids, sharp cutting blades, hot working surfaces, and extreme temperature changes when entering walk-in refrigeration or freezing units. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Work Practices (including keeping things neat, clean, and in order)
• Technical Practices (theoretical, precise, artistic)
• Ability to Interpret Instructions, Specifications, etc. (other than blueprints)
• Ability To Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment
• Knowledge of Materials
• Dexterity and Safety