Cook

Full-Time Cook (Culinary Chef) – Hillcrest Shadow Lake

Location: Papillion, NE
Service Line: Hillcrest Shadow Lake
Schedule: Full-Time | 7:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. | Some Weekends & Holidays Required

Hillcrest Health & Living is looking for a dependable, experienced, and service-focused Cook (Culinary Chef) to join our culinary team at Hillcrest Shadow Lake in Papillion, NE.

Hillcrest Shadow Lake provides a welcoming senior living environment where residents are supported with personalized care, meaningful connections, and the opportunity to maintain as much independence as possible. Our culinary team plays an important role in creating a positive daily experience by preparing meals that are nutritious, appealing, and enjoyable.

At Hillcrest, our mission is simple: Inspiring people to live their best lives. As a Cook, you will help bring that mission to life by preparing and serving nutritious, appetizing meals while maintaining high standards for food safety, sanitation, infection control, and kitchen operations.

What You’ll Do

As a Cook, you will prepare meals using a variety of cooking methods while ensuring individual dietary needs, food-safety standards, and established culinary procedures are followed.

You will:

• Prepare and serve nutritious, appetizing, and visually appealing meals.

• Prepare foods using a variety of cooking methods, including à la carte and quantity cooking.

• Prepare mechanically altered and therapeutically modified foods according to physician orders.

• Follow established recipes, menus, portion standards, and dietary requirements.

• Follow HACCP cooking procedures with a strong emphasis on infection control and food safety.

• Maintain high sanitation standards throughout your work area and the entire kitchen.

• Complete required opening and closing procedures and properly secure culinary areas.

• Clean and sanitize culinary equipment according to established equipment-cleaning procedures.

• Monitor and document dry, refrigerated, and frozen food-storage areas as required.

• Complete required food-safety and regulatory documentation accurately and timely.

• Properly store, label, and handle food products to maintain quality and safety.

• Safely store and use cleaning chemicals according to MSDS and OSHA requirements.

• Provide direction to Hosts/Hostesses during the shift and help ensure assigned responsibilities are completed.

• Work collaboratively with culinary and community team members to keep meal service running smoothly.

• Assist with additional culinary responsibilities when needed.

• Be flexible in supporting other responsibilities or positions temporarily when operational needs require.

The role includes food preparation, therapeutic and mechanically altered diets, HACCP compliance, infection control, sanitation, documentation, equipment cleaning, and supporting daily culinary operations.

What We’re Looking For

We are looking for someone who enjoys cooking, takes pride in the quality of their work, and understands that meals are an important part of a resident’s day.

The right candidate will be organized, dependable, and comfortable working in a fast-paced kitchen while maintaining strong attention to food safety, dietary requirements, sanitation, and presentation.

Ideal candidates will have:

• Previous restaurant, hotel, senior living, healthcare, institutional, or similar cooking experience preferred.

• Experience preparing meals in a high-volume kitchen environment.

• Strong understanding of food-safety and sanitation practices.

• Ability to follow recipes, menus, therapeutic diets, and food-preparation standards.

• Strong attention to detail with food temperatures, storage, sanitation, and required documentation.

• Ability to manage multiple food-preparation priorities during busy meal periods.

• Dependability and consistent follow-through.

• Strong organization and time-management skills.

• Ability to remain calm and flexible when priorities or meal-service needs change.

• Ability to work independently while contributing to a collaborative culinary team.

• A service-focused approach when preparing meals for aging adults.

• Willingness to assist team members and support other culinary responsibilities when needed.

Education & Experience

• High school diploma or equivalent preferred.

• At least two years of hotel or restaurant line-cooking experience preferred.

Why Hillcrest?

Meals are an important part of everyday life at Hillcrest Shadow Lake.

For residents, food can provide comfort, familiarity, connection, and something to look forward to each day. That means the work happening behind the scenes in the kitchen matters.

As a Cook, you will have the opportunity to use your culinary skills in a setting where the meals you prepare have a direct impact on the people you serve. You will also work closely with a team that understands the importance of both great food and excellent service.

This full-time day opportunity from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. is a great fit for an experienced cook who enjoys an earlier schedule while still being part of a fast-paced culinary environment.

What Hillcrest Offers

• Competitive compensation.

• Full-time day schedule.

• 7:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. hours.

• Some weekends and holidays required.

• Multiple health insurance plan options.

• Vision, dental, and life insurance.

• Professional development support, including tuition reimbursement, certifications, and career-growth programs.

• Dayforce Wallet, allowing you to choose when you get paid.

• Gym membership reimbursement and partner discounts.

• Supportive leadership and a collaborative culinary team.

• Opportunities to grow within a mission-driven senior care organization.

Physical & Other Requirements

• Must be able to speak, read, and write English.

• Must be able to independently lift up to 35 pounds.

• Must be able to perform repetitive sitting, bending, standing, walking, reaching, lifting, and movement as needed.

• Must be flexible and calm when working in stressful or changing situations.

• Must be able to work in a fast-paced culinary environment with strong attention to detail.

• Must be able to safely utilize culinary equipment, cleaning chemicals, technology, and available resources.

• Must follow established HACCP, infection-control, sanitation, MSDS, and OSHA requirements.

• Must be available to work some weekends and holidays as scheduled.

• Other duties as assigned.

Ready to Cook With Purpose?

If you are an experienced Cook who takes pride in preparing quality meals and wants to be part of a team where your work has a meaningful impact, we invite you to apply for the Full-Time Cook – Hillcrest Shadow Lake position.

Join Hillcrest Health & Living and help us continue inspiring people to live their best lives through great food, dependable service, and an enjoyable dining experience.