Healthcare Dietary Cook
Boost your chances before you apply.
KVC Health Systems
Saint James, MO, US
Summary
The Healthcare Dietary Cook is responsible for preparing and serving nutritious, high-quality meals in a commercial kitchen for a residential healthcare environment. This role ensures compliance with food safety regulations, sanitation standards, and standardized recipes while supporting the daily nutritional needs of youth.
Job Description
Healthcare Dietary Cook –St. James, MO
KVC Missouri | St. James, MO
Pay Range: $15.00-$17.00 per hour
KVC Missouri is seeking a dependable, compassionate, and service-oriented Healthcare Dietary Cook to join our St. James team. This role is responsible for preparing nutritious, high-quality meals in a structured healthcare and residential environment serving children and youth.
Our Dietary Services team plays an essential role in creating a safe, welcoming, and therapeutic environment. The ideal candidate brings experience in high-volume or institutional food service and understands the importance of consistency, sanitation, teamwork, and reliability in a healthcare setting.
This is not a fast-food environment. We are looking for professionals who take pride in preparing meals that support health, comfort, and daily stability for the individuals we serve.
Essential Responsibilities
- Prepare and serve nutritious meals in accordance with standardized recipes, nutrition guidelines, portion standards, and food safety regulations
- Perform food preparation, batch cooking, baking, and meal production in a commercial kitchen environment
- Follow DESE nutrition standards, ServSafe practices, sanitation procedures, and infection-control expectations
- Maintain meal quality, timing, temperature logs, and kitchen cleanliness standards
- Assist with menu preparation, inventory management, receiving deliveries, and stock rotation
- Support meal service operations for residents, staff, and special events as needed
- Maintain accurate food storage, labeling, and sanitation documentation
- Work collaboratively with residential, nursing, and operations staff to support a positive dining experience
- Ensure dependable attendance and punctuality to support uninterrupted meal service operations
- Maintain a calm, professional demeanor in a fast-paced healthcare and residential setting
What We’re Looking For
- High School Diploma or GED required
- Minimum 1 year of experience in food service, commercial kitchens, cafeteria, healthcare dietary, school nutrition, senior living, or other institutional cooking environments preferred
- Experience in healthcare, behavioral health, residential treatment, high-volume meal production, or working with children and adolescents is preferred
- ServSafe Certification preferred (or willingness to obtain within designated timeframe)
- Ability to safely operate kitchen equipment, follow food safety and sanitation standards, stand for extended periods, and lift up to 40 pounds
- Dependable attendance, reliable transportation, and a strong work ethic required
- Successful candidates are team-oriented, respectful, detail-focused, and comfortable working in a structured healthcare environment while following standardized recipes and production expectations
- We’re looking for compassionate professionals who understand the important role food service plays in supporting health, comfort, and wellbeing
Schedule Expectations
- Flexible scheduling may be available based on operational needs
- Weekend, holiday, and rotating shift availability may be required
- Consistent attendance is essential to maintaining quality meal service for our residents and patients
Benefits
- Generous Paid Time Off
- Paid Parental Leave
- Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance
- 403(b) Retirement Plan with Company Match
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Professional Licensure and Certification Reimbursement
- Employee Assistance Program
- Wellness Benefits, including mental health resources and health screenings
About KVC Missouri
KVC Missouri is part of KVC Health Systems, a mission-driven nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening families and improving the lives of children and youth.
Our Columbia team is committed to creating a supportive, therapeutic environment where every individual feels safe, respected, and cared for. Dietary Services is a vital part of that mission.
Our culture of compassion, teamwork, and employee support has earned KVC an 83 Work Wellbeing Score on Indeed, placing us among the top 1% of employers nationwide.
If you are looking for meaningful work in a stable, team-oriented healthcare environment where your contributions truly matter, we encourage you to apply.
At KVC Health Systems, our 2,800 caring team members work every day to strengthen families, prevent child abuse and neglect, and help both children and adults achieve mental wellness. We all need connection! And at KVC, our employees are our greatest asset and strength, helping the people we serve experience the power of connection to themselves, their family and friends, and to professionals who can help them thrive.
We're working toward a bold vision: a world in which every person is SAFE and CONNECTED to a strong family and a healthy community. No more child abuse and neglect. No more untreated mental illness or addiction. Parents no longer pass down the cycles of violence, substance use or trauma that they experienced as children. Instead, families have the skills and supportive connections they need to thrive. Every individual has unlimited possibilities and can reach their full potential. This is why the KVC team comes to work every day, providing family strengthening services, mental and behavioral healthcare, foster care, adoption and inpatient children’s mental health treatment. People are facing serious challenges, and community needs are greater than ever. Will you join us?
Since 1970, KVC has grown from a single home for at-risk children to a national organization serving over 80,000 children and families each year in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Kentucky and West Virginia. KVC also provides training and consultation around the world. We're a family of private, nonprofit 501(c)3 organizations committed to enriching and enhancing the lives of children and families. Learn more at www.kvc.org.
Company size
1,001-5,000 employees
Industry
Individual and Family Services
Org type
Nonprofit
Headquarters
Olathe, KS
At KVC Health Systems, our 2,800 caring team members work every day to strengthen families, prevent child abuse and neglect, and help both children and adults achieve mental wellness. We all need connection! And at KVC, our employees are our greatest asset and strength, helping the people we serve experience the power of connection to themselves, their family and friends, and to professionals who can help them thrive.
We're working toward a bold vision: a world in which every person is SAFE and CONNECTED to a strong family and a healthy community. No more child abuse and neglect. No more untreated mental illness or addiction. Parents no longer pass down the cycles of violence, substance use or trauma that they experienced as children. Instead, families have the skills and supportive connections they need to thrive. Every individual has unlimited possibilities and can reach their full potential. This is why the KVC team comes to work every day, providing family strengthening services, mental and behavioral healthcare, foster care, adoption and inpatient children’s mental health treatment. People are facing serious challenges, and community needs are greater than ever. Will you join us?
Since 1970, KVC has grown from a single home for at-risk children to a national organization serving over 80,000 children and families each year in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Kentucky and West Virginia. KVC also provides training and consultation around the world. We're a family of private, nonprofit 501(c)3 organizations committed to enriching and enhancing the lives of children and families. Learn more at www.kvc.org.
Company size
1,001-5,000 employees
Industry
Individual and Family Services
Org type
Nonprofit
Headquarters
Olathe, KS
