Culinary Arts Assistant (At-Will)

Title:                 Culinary Arts Assistant  (At-Will)                      FLSA:       Non- Exempt     

Reports to:       Director of CTE                                                 Updated:   February 2025

Position Summary

Supports the certified classroom teacher in the CTE Culinary Arts/Hospitality program at Dakota High School. Under the direction of the classroom teacher, the candidate will assist in the supervision and instruction of students, which includes various hospitality and culinary activities.

Duties and Responsibilities

(These duties and responsibilities are judged to be "essential functions" in terms of the Americans With Disabilities Act or ADA)

• Assists students in the classroom or in the kitchen/dining area under the direction of the teacher.
• Assist the teacher in training students in the safe operation of all kitchen equipment per OSHA standards.
• Assist the teacher in training students in all aspects of the operation of a restaurant and kitchen.
• Assist in all aspects of food preparation and delivery for learning purposes and catering work.
• Assists in reporting and evaluating student performance, behavior and attendance.
• Assist in engaging student(s) with instructional activities developed by the teacher.
• Assist students with career searches, resume building, career paths, student chapters, student competitions, etc.
• Assists in maintaining inventories, ordering supplies and picking up items at local stores.
• Assist teacher in preparing students for competitive events, catering, and student organization. Attend such events with students and teacher when needed during and after regular hours.
• Assist teacher in program marketing and promotion.
• Communicate with community, staff, and students to answer questions, disseminate or explain information.
• Assume other duties as assigned.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by a person in this position.  They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all duties that may be performed by such a person.

Education, Experiences, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

(To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.)

Education: 

• Must have a High School Diploma or equivalent and one of the following:
  • Associates degree or higher in related field
  • 4,000 hour of recent/relevant work experience in food services/food preparation

Certificates, Licenses, or Registrations: 

• State Approved/ANSI Certified Approved Sanitation Managers Certification preferred; required to obtain certification within 90 days.

Experience: 

• Previous work experience in food services/food preparation, required.
• Previous experience working with high school students/special needs students, in a hospitality learning environment, preferred.

Knowledge: 

• Knowledge of instructional kitchen equipment, preparation of food for large groups, food ordering, costing, safety and nutrition, required.
• Knowledge of employability skills including career searches, resume writing, career paths, post-secondary educational and apprenticeship options, preferred.
• Knowledge of school policies and safety regulations, required.

Skills: 

• Basic computer skills, required.
• Math skills as they are applied within in the context of restaurant operations, required.
• Problem solving and critical thinking skills, required.
• Strong interpersonal skills, required.
• Good verbal and written communication skills, required.
• Basic computer skills, required.

Abilities: 

• Ability to follow and model all safety precautions and procedures, required.
• Ability to be caring, understanding, and friendly towards students, required.
• Ability to apply common sense to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form, required.
• Ability to follow and model all OSHA and district safety precautions and procedures, and assist the teacher in training students in the correct and safe operation of all culinary and hospitality equipment, required.
• Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing using the English language with students, staff and community, required.
• Ability to read and interpret school policies and handbook, required.
• Ability to pay attention to detail, required.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, use hands to finger, handle, or feel; talk and hear. The employee is required to stand; walk; reach with hands and arms; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.  The employee must lift and/or move up to 30 pounds of files, materials and/or equipment, etc.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and ability to adjust focus, especially due to concentration on small details.

Work Environment

The noise level in the work environment is loud.

The qualifications listed above are guidelines for selection purposes; alternative qualifications may be substituted if sufficient to perform the duties of the job.

Title:                 Culinary Arts Assistant  (At-Will)                      FLSA:       Non- Exempt     

Reports to:       Director of CTE                                                 Updated:   February 2025

Position Summary

Supports the certified classroom teacher in the CTE Culinary Arts/Hospitality program at Dakota High School. Under the direction of the classroom teacher, the candidate will assist in the supervision and instruction of students, which includes various hospitality and culinary activities.

Duties and Responsibilities

(These duties and responsibilities are judged to be "essential functions" in terms of the Americans With Disabilities Act or ADA)

• Assists students in the classroom or in the kitchen/dining area under the direction of the teacher.
• Assist the teacher in training students in the safe operation of all kitchen equipment per OSHA standards.
• Assist the teacher in training students in all aspects of the operation of a restaurant and kitchen.
• Assist in all aspects of food preparation and delivery for learning purposes and catering work.
• Assists in reporting and evaluating student performance, behavior and attendance.
• Assist in engaging student(s) with instructional activities developed by the teacher.
• Assist students with career searches, resume building, career paths, student chapters, student competitions, etc.
• Assists in maintaining inventories, ordering supplies and picking up items at local stores.
• Assist teacher in preparing students for competitive events, catering, and student organization. Attend such events with students and teacher when needed during and after regular hours.
• Assist teacher in program marketing and promotion.
• Communicate with community, staff, and students to answer questions, disseminate or explain information.
• Assume other duties as assigned.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by a person in this position.  They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all duties that may be performed by such a person.

Education, Experiences, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

(To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.)

Education: 

• Must have a High School Diploma or equivalent and one of the following:
  • Associates degree or higher in related field
  • 4,000 hour of recent/relevant work experience in food services/food preparation

Certificates, Licenses, or Registrations: 

• State Approved/ANSI Certified Approved Sanitation Managers Certification preferred; required to obtain certification within 90 days.

Experience: 

• Previous work experience in food services/food preparation, required.
• Previous experience working with high school students/special needs students, in a hospitality learning environment, preferred.

Knowledge: 

• Knowledge of instructional kitchen equipment, preparation of food for large groups, food ordering, costing, safety and nutrition, required.
• Knowledge of employability skills including career searches, resume writing, career paths, post-secondary educational and apprenticeship options, preferred.
• Knowledge of school policies and safety regulations, required.

Skills: 

• Basic computer skills, required.
• Math skills as they are applied within in the context of restaurant operations, required.
• Problem solving and critical thinking skills, required.
• Strong interpersonal skills, required.
• Good verbal and written communication skills, required.
• Basic computer skills, required.

Abilities: 

• Ability to follow and model all safety precautions and procedures, required.
• Ability to be caring, understanding, and friendly towards students, required.
• Ability to apply common sense to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form, required.
• Ability to follow and model all OSHA and district safety precautions and procedures, and assist the teacher in training students in the correct and safe operation of all culinary and hospitality equipment, required.
• Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing using the English language with students, staff and community, required.
• Ability to read and interpret school policies and handbook, required.
• Ability to pay attention to detail, required.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, use hands to finger, handle, or feel; talk and hear. The employee is required to stand; walk; reach with hands and arms; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.  The employee must lift and/or move up to 30 pounds of files, materials and/or equipment, etc.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and ability to adjust focus, especially due to concentration on small details.

Work Environment

The noise level in the work environment is loud.

The qualifications listed above are guidelines for selection purposes; alternative qualifications may be substituted if sufficient to perform the duties of the job.

Salary : $14 - $17