How to hire a specialty foods cook

How to hire a specialty foods cook, step by step

Here's a step-by-step specialty foods cook hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a specialty foods cook job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new specialty foods cook
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The specialty foods cook hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A specialty foods cook's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, specialty foods cooks from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of specialty foods cook salaries for various roles:

   Type of Specialty Foods Cook	Description	Hourly rate
   Specialty Foods Cook	Cooks prepare, season, and cook a wide range of foods, which may include soups, salads, entrees, and desserts.	$12-18
   Cook/Dishwasher	Cooks/dishwashers must develop kitchen skills to excel in this line of job. Each cook or dishwasher must learn to develop skills in food preparation, sanitation, and customer service... Show more	$11-19
   Cook/Server	Cooks/servers are employees who take on the dual role of being a cook and a server in the restaurant. They are usually trained cooks who are in charge of preparing meals for the guests... Show more	$11-17

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Food Handling
   • Basic Math
   • Dishes
   • Food Service
   • Safety Standards
   • Food Products
   • Food Preparation
   • Kitchen Equipment
   • Deep Fat Fryers
   • Clean Environment
   • Customer Orders
   • Fryers
   • Food Orders
   • Stock Inventory

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Develop ability to manage multiple stations simultaneously while maintaining high levels of culinary excellence.
   • Operate a large volume of cooking equipment such as grills, deep fryers, and griddles.
   • Collect orders from customers, clean dining room, wash dishes, safely cook food to customer liking.
   • Ensure food are stored and cook at correct temperatures by regulating temperature of oven, broilers, grills and roasters.
   • Bag merchandise by following standard procedures.maintain Drive-thru times.
   • Leverage teamwork to fully utilize kitchen staff to generate remarkable food and service to ensure customer satisfaction.

   More specialty foods cook duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the specialty foods cook job description is a good way to get more applicants. A specialty foods cook salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a specialty foods cook in Kentucky may be lower than in Massachusetts, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level specialty foods cook. Additionally, a specialty foods cook with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average specialty foods cook salary

   $15.14hourly

   $31,497 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level specialty foods cook salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 19, 2026

   Average specialty foods cook salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$42,867	$21
   2	Washington	$41,604	$20
   3	New York	$36,317	$17
   4	District of Columbia	$35,631	$17
   5	Minnesota	$35,251	$17
   6	Oregon	$35,101	$17
   7	New Hampshire	$34,154	$16
   8	Colorado	$34,058	$16
   9	California	$33,856	$16
   10	Maine	$33,708	$16
   11	Pennsylvania	$32,721	$16
   12	Illinois	$31,707	$15
   13	Georgia	$30,817	$15
   14	Michigan	$30,782	$15
   15	Maryland	$30,164	$15
   16	Ohio	$28,549	$14
   17	Nebraska	$28,427	$14
   18	Florida	$28,141	$14
   19	Oklahoma	$26,635	$13
   20	Kansas	$25,800	$12

   Average specialty foods cook salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Ncar - The National Center For Atmospheric Research	$40,098	$19.28
   2	University of California-Berkeley	$39,188	$18.84
   3	Emanate Health	$35,605	$17.12	1
   4	Brigham and Women's Hospital	$35,467	$17.05	12
   5	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center	$35,007	$16.83
   6	Boston Medical Center	$34,927	$16.79	3
   7	Maine Health/maine Mental Health Partners	$34,845	$16.75	6
   8	Sutter Health	$34,729	$16.70	8
   9	Nebraska Methodist Health System	$34,502	$16.59
   10	Lunds & Byerlys	$34,440	$16.56	3
   11	East Tennessee Children's Hospital	$34,347	$16.51
   12	Eskenazi Health	$34,101	$16.39
   13	Sesame	$34,071	$16.38
   14	BayCare Health System	$34,068	$16.38	12
   15	Hospice of The Valley	$34,033	$16.36
   16	PeaceHealth	$33,982	$16.34	1
   17	Great Wolf Resorts	$33,952	$16.32	16
   18	TPI	$33,860	$16.28
   19	Hawaii Pacific Health	$33,778	$16.24	7
   20	Bristol Farms	$33,513	$16.11

4. Writing a specialty foods cook job description

   A specialty foods cook job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a specialty foods cook job description:

   Specialty foods cook job description example

   Shifts run Monday to Friday, 6 am to 2 pm.

   You can learn about great food and grow your passion at the same time.

   We provide training resources and support.

   Promotional opportunities. We are a growing company and you can grow with us!

   Variety of medical, dental, and vision benefits to cover you and/or your family.

   401k with company match after a 6 month waiting period.

   Plum Market offers a desirable and rewarding place to work.

   Employment is contingent on a successful background check.

   Production Cook – Foodservice

   The Production Cook is responsible for providing exceptional Customer Service. They will quickly prepare, cook, and serve food according to menu and our Customers request. They must adhere to Plum Market’s quality expectations in regards to food preparation, cleanliness and overall presentation of the culinary

   Who you are:

   You have 1 year experience as a cook.

   You think quickly and be ready and able to fill in where needed to ensure service, food safety and sanitation standards.

   You are able to ensure all equipment is kept clean and in excellent working condition.

   You have knowledge of proper rotation principals.

   You are able to open and close the kitchen properly.

   You are able to assist with checking refrigeration points to ensure all temp logs are filled out properly.

   What you will bring:

   A passion for cooking and desire to learn.

   Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, detail-oriented, multi-tasker that can delegate tasks when needed.

   Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

   Able to stand and walk for up to 4 hours without a break – we work on the floor, and alongside our Team.

   Ability to bend and stoop to grasp objects, climb ladders, lift loads, up to 50 lbs. unassisted, push and pull carts weighing up to 100 lbs. unassisted.

   What you will do:

   Provide fast and courteous Service to the Customer.

   Perform proper food safety and sanitation.

   Demonstrate good knife skills.

   Be self-motivated.

   Keep the entire kitchen clean and in excellent working condition.

   Communicate any and all needs to the manager.

   Able to receive deliveries, stock shelves, coolers, and properly rotate product.

   Sweep and mop the floors on a daily basis.

   Wash dishes as needed.

   Prepare, heat and serve all the components of the daily menu.

   Assist on Catering orders with the manager.

   Drop off catering orders.

   Maintain the hot bar during lunch service.

   Assist Sandwich Station and Salad Station as needed.

   
   Nights and Weekends Off!!

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right specialty foods cook for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your specialty foods cook job on Zippia to find and recruit specialty foods cook candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting specialty foods cooks requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new specialty foods cook

   Once you've found the specialty foods cook candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new specialty foods cook first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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