Culinary Assistant

Company Background

Welcome to Mount Prospect Academy (MPA), a rapidly growing alliance of nonprofit agencies founded in 2003, with the goal of helping struggling adolescents find a “zest for life" and succeed in the “business of life.”

MPA has evolved to offer a variety of mental health support services to a diverse population of “hard to treat” and “difficult to place” adolescence. Our targeted services include home and community-based treatment, residential treatment programs, group homes, and special education schools. MPA is known for its ability to achieve successful outcomes with difficult-to-serve individuals throughout New England.

Mission:

MPA’S mission is to provide a caring, safe therapeutic environment where students have the opportunity to grow and acquire the skills they need to reach their educational and social potential. We aim to develop trusting relationships with students and facilitate experiences that promote their ability to self-regulate; manage thoughts and feelings; and develop feelings of safety, confidence, and competency.

• You are to assist in the preparation and service of meals for students and faculty.
• Preparation and service of meals in residential treatment facilities for a capacity of up to 45 youth and 20 staff per shift.
• Provide input to the person identified by MPA to create menus. Implement these menus which comply with rules of nutrition as outlined by the NH Department of Health & Human Services and the NH Department of Education.
• Participate in the Food Count program at MPA, ensuring timely, accurate food count records.
• Safely store all sharps and hazardous kitchen equipment out of reach of students in locked containers.
• Maintain standards of safety and sanitation in each kitchen, including but not limited to, completely appropriate inspections, complying with all state and federal regulations as well as MPA food service procedures, monitoring cooking times and temperatures, and participating in the cleaning of utensils, equipment and work areas.
• Possess the ability to work with and supervise students and/or other helpers in the preparation of food, while maintaining standards for safety and sanitation.
• Familiar with the terminology, weight, measures and proper use of equipment used in an institutional kitchen.
• Ability to take direction from Executive Directors on each campus, communicate effectively and physically able to stand long hours.
• Perform required lifting as needed to stock supplies and perform cooking and cleaning duties.
• Communicate effectively with students and faculty to ensure standards for safety and sanitation are followed.
• Prepare dinners and weekend meals in advance for faculty to be able to easily cook and serve meals to students.
• Order and stock supplies for food storage and food services such as paper goods, cleaning supplies, and other household goods as necessary.
• Monitor stock of items and inventory of food and food services items.
• If necessary, work collaboratively with MPA campus kitchens to provide meal services according to the NH DOE guidelines during the school day, and monitor inventory of paper goods at the SRA location.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Must be 21 years or older.
• Must be willing and able to travel by vehicle to the other MPA campus kitchens to perform the culinary obligations, as needed and as directed.
• 1 or more years of experience as a cook helping in the preparation of food for large groups.