Cook II-Full Time

Northwestern Medicine is a leading healthcare provider dedicated to improving the health and well-being of the communities it serves through innovative care, education, and research. With a network of hospitals and specialty care facilities, Northwestern Medicine focuses on delivering compassionate, high-quality medical services across the Chicagoland area and beyond. Kishwaukee Hospital, located in DeKalb, is one of the key facilities within this network, known for its commitment to patient-centered care and community health services. The hospital provides a broad range of medical and surgical treatments, supported by a skilled professional team and state-of-the-art technology, ensuring excellent health outcomes for its patients.

The role of Cook II at Northwestern Medicine is a full-time position based at the Kishwaukee Hospital location in DeKalb, offering a consistent 40-hour workweek with weekday shifts from 12:30 pm to 9:00 pm and weekend shifts varying between 5:00 am and 12:30 pm, with every other weekend off. This position is essential as it supports the Food and Nutrition Team by preparing hot foods and meal items in a safe and sanitary manner, which contributes directly to the patient care experience. The Cook II plays a vital role in ensuring that meals meet the organization’s high standards for nutritional quality, presentation, and food safety.

This position is ideal for candidates who possess a strong background in short order cooking and have a passion for working in a healthcare foodservice environment. The Cook II is responsible for using approved recipes to measure, mix, and prepare ingredients, demonstrating close attention to detail and culinary skill. The job requires proficiency with kitchen equipment such as blenders, mixers, grinders, slicers, ovens, and steamers, alongside expert knife skills for chopping, slicing, dicing, and paring. The Cook II prepares a variety of menu items, including cafe offerings, patient meals, and catering orders, while adhering to dietary guidelines and ensuring all foods are cooked safely using methods like baking, roasting, broiling, and steaming.

Maintaining high standards of food safety, sanitation, and infection control is critical within this role, and the Cook II works closely with managers and supervisors to maintain kitchen stations and service areas that are organized, safe, and compliant with health regulations. Daily duties also include monitoring and recording temperatures of hot-held food items, testing food for doneness, and managing product levels at service stations. The Cook II must be flexible and ready to support additional operational needs as assigned by supervisory staff, always reflecting Northwestern Medicine’s mission, vision, and values. This position represents not only a technical culinary role but also one that requires teamwork, communication, and a commitment to enhancing the overall patient and staff dining experience through high-quality food preparation.