COOK- Full time

Responsibilities

River Oaks Hospital, affiliated with Universal Health Services, is located in metropolitan New Orleans, Louisiana, is a private psychiatric facility for adults, adolescents and children. Since 1970, River Oaks has established a tradition of excellence in the treatment of acute psychiatric illness, dual diagnosis, alcohol and drug detoxification, trauma based disorders, compulsive behaviors, and eating disorders, River Oaks has provided quality treatment to service individuals suffering from mental illness, and/or addictive disorders. Situated on a 14-acre campus, services are available at all levels of care (inpatient, day or partial hospitalization, outpatient, and intensive outpatient).

For more information about our hospital, please visit: https://riveroakshospital.com/

Position Overview - Cook

The Cook is responsible for preparing, cooking, and serving nutritious, high-quality meals for patients, staff, and visitors in accordance with physician orders, therapeutic diet requirements, food safety regulations, and hospital standards. Working within a behavioral health environment, the Cook supports patient recovery and well-being by providing safe, appetizing meals while maintaining a clean, sanitary, and secure kitchen. The Cook follows established recipes, portion controls, and dietary guidelines, assists with inventory management, and collaborates with dietary and clinical staff to meet the nutritional needs of psychiatric patients. The position also adheres to behavioral health safety protocols regarding food service equipment, utensils, and patient interactions to ensure a safe and therapeutic environment.

Key Areas of Responsibilities:

· Open the kitchen and ensure organization of daily events. · Comply with facility and departmental policies and procedures regarding food services offered. · Follow menus and recipes as provided by the Food Service Director and Dietician. · Prepare meals and beverages according to menu cycle and daily production sheet, providing attention to attractive and tasteful meals. · Accurately prepare food for modified diets, consulting with Dietician or food Service Director as required. · Complete and prepare meals in a timely manner as prescribed by posted mealtimes. · Follow posted cleaning schedule and always ensure a clean work area and dining room. · Document refrigeration units and dish machine temperatures according to posted schedules. · Adhere to standards for food temperatures during cooking, serving and storage of leftovers. · Maintain walk-in cooler, freezer, and storerooms in an orderly fashion including properly date, rotate and label all food items. · Adhere to appropriate portion control and avoid over production and or running out of food. · Comply with established guidelines for sanitation and safety. · Provide leadership to the other food service staff during shift teamwork. · Interact with patients in the serving line, offering assistance in the selection of a nutritionally balanced meal. · Support and encourage harmonious working relationships within the department, as well as with all employees in the facility. · Report any equipment malfunction immediately to the Food Service Manager. · Provide assistance with washing dishes and maintaining dish room in a clean and orderly fashion. · Responsible for turning off all equipment, inspecting the kitchen for cleanliness and locking the department at the end of the day. · Use of sense of urgency by managing your time to ensure all job responsibilities are completed. · Prepare food and refreshments to properly have meals ready (snacks, lunch, beverages, etc.) for New Hire Orientation (NEO) classes, and other hospital related staff meeting.

Benefits Highlights:

Challenging and rewarding work environment Competitive Compensation & Generous Paid Time Off Excellent Medical, Dental, Vision and Prescription Drug Plans 401(K) with company match and discounted stock plan SoFi Student Loan Refinancing Program Career development opportunities within UHS and its 300+ Subsidiaries! More information is available on our Benefits Guest Website: UHS benefits

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:

• High school diploma or equivalency.
• Ability to read, write and follow written instruction and recipes.
• Experience in preparing food in bulk quantities preferred.
• Previous experience, preferably in a hospital, hotel or other institutional setting.
• Ability to work with others in a team environment.

WORK HOURS: Must be able to work a flexible schedule (breakfast, lunch or dinner shifts). Also must be able to work weekends on a rotating basis.

About Universal Health Services One of the nation’s largest and most respected providers of hospital and healthcare services, Universal Health Services, Inc. (UHS) has built an impressive record of achievement and performance. Growing steadily since its inception into an esteemed Fortune 500® corporation, annual revenues during 2025 were $17.4 billion. In 2026, UHS was again recognized as one of Fortune World’s Most Admired Companies™ and in 2025, was listed in Forbes ranking of America’s Largest Public Companies.

Headquartered in King of Prussia, PA, UHS has approximately 101,500 employees and continues to grow through its subsidiaries. Operating acute care hospitals, behavioral health facilities, outpatient facilities and ambulatory care access points, an insurance offering, a physician network and various related services located in 40 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom. For additional information visit www.uhs.com.

From Fortune, ©2025, 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All rights reserved. Used under license.

EEO Statement All UHS subsidiaries are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates. UHS subsidiaries are equal opportunity employers and as such, openly support and fully commit to recruitment, selection, placement, promotion and compensation of individuals without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), genetic information, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

Avoid and Report Recruitment Scams

We are aware of a scam whereby imposters are posing as Recruiters from UHS, and our subsidiary hospitals and facilities. Beware of anyone requesting financial or personal information. At UHS and all our subsidiaries, our Human Resources departments and recruiters are here to help prospective candidates by matching skill set and experience with the best possible career path at UHS and our subsidiaries. During the recruitment process, no recruiter or employee will request financial or personal information (e.g., Social Security Number, credit card or bank information, etc.) from you via email. Our recruiters will not email you from a public webmail client like Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, etc. If you suspect a fraudulent job posting or job-related email mentioning UHS or its subsidiaries, we encourage you to report such concerns to appropriate law enforcement. We encourage you to refer to legitimate UHS and UHS subsidiary career websites to verify job opportunities and not rely on unsolicited calls from recruiters.