School Cook
School Cook – Fresh, Simple Food | Organized & Efficient
Love an organized kitchen, a dependable routine, and the satisfaction of a productive day's work? This could be a fantastic job for you!
At ChildRoots, many of our cooks have stayed with us for years, and for good reason. Our kitchens offer consistent schedules, established menus, meaningful work, and the opportunity to spend your days independently preparing nutritious food for children.
We're looking for an exceptionally organized, efficient, detail-oriented Cook to prepare daily meals and snacks for approximately 110 children at our Northwest Portland childcare center.
The food is simple. The kitchen is busy. And the right person will genuinely enjoy both.
Our Food Philosophy – Simple Food, Consistent Format
ChildRoots serves organic, vegetarian, nut-free meals featuring fresh, whole, minimally processed foods. We believe children develop healthy eating habits by experiencing a variety of nutritious foods served simply, without elaborate recipes, sauces, or heavy seasoning.
Our meal formats are established and do not change. The foods offered within those formats vary from day to day.
Every lunch follows our "Take 5" format, consisting of five components:
Grain – such as brown rice, quinoa, farro, or another whole grain.
Bean – such as black beans, chickpeas, lentils, or another legume.
Fresh vegetable – a rotating selection of seasonal vegetables, served fresh, steamed, or roasted.
Fresh fruit – a rotating selection of fresh fruits, washed and cut appropriately for each age group.
Dairy – served according to our established menus and individual dietary requirements.
We also serve two daily snacks following established menus and preparation standards.
Our foods change daily to provide variety, but our meal structure, preparation methods, portions, and service expectations remain consistent.
This is not a creative cooking position. Our cooks do not develop their own menus, introduce personal recipes, or independently change how food is prepared or served. Our food philosophy and kitchen systems are intentional, and we're looking for someone who appreciates and takes pride in executing them consistently.
What Your Workday Looks Like
You'll independently manage a busy kitchen, preparing and serving lunch and two snacks daily for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.
Your responsibilities include:
High-volume food preparation: Wash, peel, chop, portion, and prepare substantial quantities of fresh produce each morning, along with grains, beans, and other menu components.
Following our established food program: Prepare and serve meals according to ChildRoots' standardized menus, food formats, preparation methods, and procedures.
Meeting multiple classroom schedules: Prepare, portion, and deliver meals on time, coordinate dish collection, and manage dishwashing throughout the day.
Getting every detail right: Follow age-specific food preparation requirements, including safe cutting sizes, textures, portions, and classroom-specific instructions.
Managing allergies and substitutions: Accurately follow individual dietary restrictions and approved food replacements without mistakes or improvisation.
Maintaining a productive pace: Move efficiently between food preparation, deliveries, dishes, and cleaning to keep the kitchen on schedule.
Keeping an exceptionally clean kitchen: Follow food safety and handwashing procedures, clean continuously throughout the day, and thoroughly sanitize, organize, and reset the kitchen each afternoon.
The Person Who Thrives in This Role
We're looking for someone who:
Is naturally fast and efficient. You work with purpose, maintain a steady pace, and accomplish a substantial amount without sacrificing quality or accuracy.
Is exceptionally organized. You think ahead, manage competing tasks, remember details, and know how to keep a busy kitchen running smoothly.
Is meticulous about cleanliness. A clean, sanitary, well-organized kitchen is a matter of personal pride, not something you need to be reminded about.
Enjoys consistency and routine. You appreciate established systems and find satisfaction in executing them exceptionally well, day after day.
Has an excellent memory for details. You reliably follow food safety procedures, classroom schedules, food preparation requirements, and individual dietary instructions.
Is coachable and accountable. You welcome feedback, remember instructions, and consistently implement necessary changes.
Is self-directed. You enjoy working independently and don't need someone standing over you to keep the day moving.
Is comfortable with physical, repetitive work. You understand that washing produce, chopping vegetables, portioning food, washing dishes, and cleaning are central to this position.
A Great Job for the Right Person
Our longtime cooks have demonstrated that this can be a wonderful position for someone who enjoys a structured, predictable kitchen environment.
There are no complicated recipes to master, no changing restaurant orders, and no expectation to invent new dishes.
Instead, success comes from organization, efficiency, consistency, precision, and pride in a job well done.
That doesn't mean the work is easy! Preparing food for 110 children, meeting multiple classroom schedules, accommodating individual dietary needs, and maintaining a spotless kitchen requires sustained effort and attention throughout the day.
Most of your workday will be spent independently in the kitchen, with limited interaction with children and classroom staff.
You'll need to be comfortable standing and moving throughout the day, performing repetitive physical tasks, and routinely lifting and handling supplies weighing up to 50 pounds, with reasonable accommodation where applicable.
Experience in a high-volume kitchen, school food program, catering operation, or other batch-food preparation environment is strongly preferred.
About ChildRoots
ChildRoots is a progressive early childhood education organization serving children from six weeks to six years of age.
We believe nutritious food is an essential part of healthy childhood development. Our kitchens play an important role in helping children build lifelong relationships with fresh, wholesome food.
Requirements
Ability to meet the physical, organizational, and time-management demands of a high-volume kitchen.
Oregon Food Handler Card.
Enrollment in Oregon's Central Background Registry.
Current CPR/First Aid certification, or ability to obtain it as required.
Commitment to ChildRoots' food safety, sanitation, and operational procedures.
You do not need to be teacher-qualified to work in this position, but you do need to have a background check through the State of Oregon.
If you're someone who loves a clean kitchen, enjoys a dependable routine, works quickly and carefully, and takes genuine satisfaction in getting things done right, we'd love to hear from you!
We do not currently offer visa sponsorship.
To work with us, you must be teacher-qualified and currently enrolled in Oregon's Central Background Registry.
These easy, online trainings are required within 30 days of hire:
- Pediatric CPR/First Aid Course
- Oregon Food Handler's Card
- Introduction to Child Care Health & Safety online course
- Recognizing & Reporting Child Abuse & Neglect online course
- Prevention is Better than Treatment online course
- Safe Sleep for Oregon's Infants online course
The challenges of COVID reminded us how vital it is to center our employees’ well-being. We know we still have much to do to be the BEST place to work in child care in Portland, but that’s what we’re working toward.
All employees are eligible for:
- 1-3 weeks of Paid Time Off per year, depending on how long they've been with ChildRoots.
- 25 paid holidays and all-school days off
- Company-provided continuing education
- 401(k) retirement savings plan with generous company match and 100%, immediate vesting
Full-time employees are eligible to enroll in our insurance plans, including:
- Providence Health, including vision, naturopathic, chiropractic, acupuncture, AND massage
- Principal or Willamette Dental
We value commitment and invite you to stay with us for at least a year.
To learn more about us, explore our website, take a virtual tour of our facilities, and review our COVID-19 Health & Safety Guidelines.
We're a pro-vaccination community and require all employees and enrolled parents to be fully vaccinated against COVID. We still practice extraordinary safety protocols like daily health checks, masks, stable groups, and extra cleaning, and will do so for as long as it takes to keep our community safe.
Thank you for your consideration. We hope to hear from you!