Participates and supports all aspects of healthcare food service operations. Works with facility staff to provide optimal nutritional care and demonstrates excellent customer service to patients, guests and staff.  Follows diet manual handbook and diet spreadsheets to ensure therapeutic meal compliance with prescribed diet order. 

Essential Key Job Responsibilities

1. Prepares and serves food within guidelines of menu and dietary requirements using required kitchen utensils and equipment. Maintains knowledge of recipe ingredients to respond to food allergy questions or requests. 
2. Follows healthcare foodservice industry standards, regulations, guidelines and procedures including monitoring and maintaining food temperatures during cooking, holding, and storage processes. Avoids cross-contamination of foods and adheres to personal hygiene requirements. Maintains proper labeling of food products and ensures storage of food equipment, and machinery per regulations and facility guidelines. 
3. Follows organizational standards and guidelines for a high quality patient and customer experience. Ensures proper meal portioning and an aesthetically pleasing presentation. Provides service recovery efforts and escalates to leadership as needed. 
4. May be responsible for one or more of the following: 

• Following therapeutic diet modifications and guidelines including allergy restrictions for all patient meal trays, nourishment, snacks and supplements
• Printing, providing and following production tool and/or electronic meal tallies/differentials for food preparation
• Explaining basic therapeutic diet orders and menus and responding to questions from patients and family members. Escalating additional patient nutrition questions or needs to appropriate clinical support team members.
• Collecting patient food preferences and ensuring compliance with prescribed diet orders. Distributing food preferences to the kitchen for menu planning in a timely manner.
• Operating electronic diet office software and tools following established procedures and protocols.
• Navigating electronic health records to access patient diet orders and nutritional reports.
• Performing general cleaning of equipment and work areas (e.g., cleaning the tray line, equipment, coolers, office area, and emptying trash cans, etc.) 

• High School Diploma/GED or equivalent combination of education preferred
• One year of food service experience required
• A Food Handlers Permit is required within 30 days

St. Luke's Health–The Vintage Hospital provides high-quality, compassionate care for residents of the Willowbrook, Champions, and Tomball areas of Northwest Houston. With the resources of the St. Luke’s Health system, we are able to deliver the most advanced care available to our Northwest Houston community. The Vintage Hospital offers the latest in diagnostic and surgical expertise, including heart care, women’s health, and orthopedics.