Nutrition Assistant I (Foster)

Summary

Performs routine service level duties to assist with food preparation, serving, and clean up at a central food production facility and/or various school service kitchens.

Distinguishing Characteristics

The Nutrition Assistant I is the first level in a service-oriented career ladder. Assignments will be at a central production facility or remote site that serves food items. Advancement to Nutrition Assistant II requires: for food production, the ability to organize and set pace in an assembly line; and for school site-based service, and fully competent performance at level I, demonstrated computer data entry skills, and the ability to perform all of the requirements of Level II.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The following duties are examples of assignments performed by incumbents in this classification. It is not a comprehensive list of duties, nor is it restrictive regarding job assignments.

The Nutrition Assistant I can perform work at a central food production facility or school site kitchen, and may be assigned to either.

Remote Site

• Arranges individually packaged and/or portioned food items along a service line so that students can make easy selection. Serves food items according to specified quantities.

• Restocks food service supplies and products.

• May prepare certain food items such as salad bar foods. Cut fruits and vegetables and prepares serving trays.

• Operates miscellaneous kitchen equipment such as warming ovens.

• May distribute food items and utensils to participants in special events.

• May assist in merchandising, promotion, and catering efforts that support education and school activities.

• Records food temperatures at regular intervals during storage, heating, and service of food items; counts meals and left-overs.

• Washes, sanitizes and cleans kitchen area surfaces and serving area. Sweeps floors.

• May serve as a cashier, accepting money and meal cards and assisting in completion of daily receipts.

• Operates a hand operated snack and/or a la carte service cart.

• Arranges and sells food items, student meal cards, and meal counts.

• Washes and sanitizes kitchen equipment.

• Attend mandatory quarterly meetings.

Central Food Production Facility

• Receives and cleans, slices, cuts, or otherwise portions food items such as, but not limited to fruits, vegetables, frozen and cooked items, used for packaging and ingredients.

• Assists others in preparing food production and processing machines.

• Cleans, sanitizes, and arranges machine components; assists with assembly.

• Learns to, and attends a food production station, assembling, sealing, and stacking standardized portions of food items onto transferable food carriers. Develops skills to maintain pace with acceptable units of production.

• Assembles prepared food items to distribution carts, moves to temperature-controlled staging areas, and may assist with delivering meals to remote school sites.

• Loads and drives small box truck with lift gate to remote school sites to prepare and deliver food products.

Other Duties:

• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Demonstrated knowledge of:

• Institutional quantity food preparation, methods, procedures, and service.

• Weights and measures.

• Kitchen safety and sanitation.

• Human relations skills to exhibit positive customer service and work as a productive member of a team.

Ability to:

• Perform the routine duties of the position under direct supervision.

• Follow oral and written instructions.

• Add and subtract, using decimals and fractions.

• Learn cashiering duties and track student status on a computerized point of sales system.

• Work varying shifts and locations.

• Obtain a food safety and sanitation certificate.

• Attend meetings as required.

Education and Experience

Education:

• The position requires completion of a high school diploma or its equivalent.

• Additional experience may substitute for education.

Experience:

• Less than one year of experience in large quantity food preparation and serving.

License and Certificates

• Current certificate of completion of a food safety and sanitation Food Handler’s Card course .

Working Environment

• Work is performed indoors and outdoors where significant health and safety considerations exist from physical labor and handling of sharp objects, equipment, and materials in conditions that vary in temperature and stability.

Hazards

• Heat from ovens.

• Cold from refrigerators and freezers.

• Exposure to very hot foods, equipment, and metal objects.

• Working around knives, slicers or other sharp objects.

• Exposure to cleaning chemicals and fumes.

Physical Requirements

The Physical Abilities and Other Conditions of Continued Employment and the Associated Tasks listed on this job description are representative of, but are not intended to provide an exhaustive list of Physical Abilities and Other Conditions of Continued Employment and Associated Tasks which may be required of positions in this class. The Santa Clarita Valley Food Services Agency encourages persons with disabilities who are interested in employment in this class and need reasonable accommodation of those disabilities to contact the Human Resources Department for further information.