This is a wonderful opportunity to be a part of the silent retreat ministry at Dayspring by mindfully preparing and serving delicious, nourishing food.
Retreat Center Cook
Dayspring Silent Retreat Center - Germantown, MD
Summary:
Dayspring Silent Retreat Center is located on 210 acres of forests and meadows. Dayspring has been hosting silent retreats for over 60 years. The Retreat Center Cook works independently to prepare vegetarian meals for weekend retreats which are held from Friday dinner to Sunday lunch. This position requires cooking for one to two weekend retreats per month, ten months of the year.
Responsibilities:
Food Preparation
Plan and shop for six meals for 12-18 people
Prepare and serve tasty and nutritious lacto-ovo vegetarian meals on time, including baked goods
Help meet the dietary needs of retreatants when appropriate
Set-up and break-down meal service for each meal
Ensure food is safely served and stored at appropriate temperatures
Maintain an orderly and efficient kitchen workspace
Ensure kitchen meets or surpasses hygiene requirements and safety standards set by regulations and complies with the changing protocols around COVID
Other
Ongoing dishwashing throughout the retreat with some support from retreatants
Keep up to date with kitchen-related emails, schedules and other communications
Ensure the kitchen, as well as meal and serving areas, are left clean and food and equipment are stored in an orderly and safe manner following a retreat
Work in silence, writing notes to communicate with guests when necessary
Qualifications
Experience with and enthusiasm for cooking family-style meals for a large group
Ability to work calmly under kitchen pressure and to work patiently with retreatants
Ability to work around retreatants in an appropriate manner to protect the “retreat space” through silence and mindfulness
Strong time management skills; ability to coordinate, follow-through and manage a variety of tasks simultaneously
Must have reliable transportation and the ability to shop independently and get to the retreat kitchen
Must be able to work on your feet for long hours in the kitchen
Ability to complete an approved on-line course in food-allergy awareness
Ability to take direction from the Kitchen Manager
If you are interested, email a resume and cover letter to kitchen@dayspringretreat.org. No phone calls please.