Chef

Job title: Chef
Reporting to: Manager
Job Code: 543

Responsibilities and Duties of Assisted Living Cooks

As more local authorities require their population to live at home and be supported to live fulfilling lives, supported living is becoming the preferred option to residential settings in the country. Therefore, if you’re willing and able to handle the responsibilities of working as a cook at a supported living facility, a rewarding career with many future employment opportunities awaits you.

Person-Centered Care and support

• It is driven by the service users’ needs and desires.
• Staff tries to see the world through the eyes of the service user.
• Activities are planned around individual interests including the following:
• About how you eat and some of the common things you are used to and expect. Perhaps harken back to high school. Then progress through adulthood and the fine dining experiences that you remember. Then apply them to Independent Care Solutions’ dining support approach.
• You can choose from a variety of foods.
  

Service Kitchen Maintenance

As a Supported Living living chef, you’ll be expected to make sure that the kitchen and workstation are clean at all times. You will also be expected to meet health and safety food standards and codes for proper food storage, handling, and preparation. The supported living facility will most likely provide you with the appropriate uniform and equipment for work.

For many people, the transition to supported living can be a challenge. At times, the service users may behave inappropriately as they get used to having their eating habits controlled. As a chef in a supported living facility, you’ll have to recognise this and realise that it’s not personal. You’ll have to manage difficult situations and respond in a professional manner. For example, service users supported in our services may have mental health, learning difficulties, and challenging behaviour. You will need to be aware of the risk assessments in place and be sure to always follows safety policies and procedures as per the support plan for each service user.

Based on the dietary requirements of the service users in the facility, you’ll be responsible for supporting service users create appropriate menus. You’ll be challenged daily to find ways to ensure high quality menu while adhering to the restrictions given by support plans, nutritionists, and other multi disciplinary team members. Although menu planning and recipe development in this industry have more restrictions than other food services, there are still opportunities to exhibit your creativity.

Supporting with culturally competent meals approach

The thought of a diet can feel overwhelming when you’re learning to support different people of different ethnicities. This is where your skills and knowledge as a chef come in. We pride ourselves in supporting individuals to live fulfilling lives. This includes supporting them with food choices that embody their culture and identity. Your role would to work with each service user and support them to come up with culturally appropriate healthy meals of their choice.
Using Smart-food Principles
There always seems to be a story in the media about a food that’s just been found to be good or bad for you. Some basic principles have weathered the fad diets and stood the test of time. Here are some healthy food choices that you can support service users with

• Lots of vegetables and fruits. To get a good variety, choose from the rainbow of colors available. Eating low-starch or nonstarchy vegetables, such as spinach, carrots, broccoli, or green beans, with meals.
• Choosing whole-grain foods over processed-grain products. Trying brown rice with your stir-fry or whole-wheat spaghetti with your favorite pasta sauce.
• Include dried beans, like kidney or pinto beans, and lentils in your meals.
• Include fish in your meals 2 to 3 times a week.
• Choose lean meats. For example, cuts of beef and pork that end in “loin,” such as pork loin and sirloin, are good choices. Remove the skin from the chicken and turkey.
• Choose nonfat dairies, such as skim milk, nonfat yogurt, and nonfat cheese.
• Choose water and calorie-free diet drinks instead of regular soda, fruit punch, sweet tea, and other sugar-sweetened drinks.
• Cook with liquid oils instead of solid fats, which can be high in saturated and trans fats. Remember that all fats are high in calories. If you’re trying to lose weight, watch your portion sizes of added fats.
• Cut back on high-calorie snacks and desserts, such as chips, cookies, cakes, and full-fat ice cream.
• Eating too much can lead to weight gain, even if what you’re preparing is healthful, so watch portion sizes.

NOTE: Be Honest!

Qualification and Experience

• Chef Qualification
• 1 Year experience
• 2 References
• English test proficiency