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Chef Assistant - FT Mid-Shift

Advocate Health · Milwaukee, WI · $21.85–$32.80 an hour · Full time

Posted Sep 22, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Tell me about a time you trained a new cook. How did you know they were ready?

What they are checking: Whether they train with a plan and check skills instead of just letting people figure it out.

Tell me about a stressful kitchen situation and how you handled it.

What they are checking: Whether they stay calm and lead others when things go wrong.

What would you do

You'll give daily work assignments to kitchen staff. How do you lead people who used to be your peers?

What they are checking: Whether they can direct work fairly and confidently without a formal manager title.

A staff member keeps cutting corners on cleanup. What do you do?

What they are checking: Whether they address the issue directly and report it if it continues.

How do you keep the cycle menu on time when you're short a cook?

What they are checking: Whether they can reassign work and pitch in to meet meal times.

The shift is 11:30 to 8 with every other weekend and three holidays a year. Does that work for you?

What they are checking: Whether they can reliably cover the schedule.

About the work

What are the critical control points in HACCP, and how do you make sure staff follow them?

What they are checking: Whether they know food safety steps like temperatures and holding times and enforce them on every shift.

A patient tray is for a renal diet and a cook wants to swap an ingredient. How do you decide?

What they are checking: Whether they understand that diet orders limit substitutions and protect patients.

How do you estimate how much food to prepare so you don't run out or waste a lot?

What they are checking: Whether they use census, history and portion control to plan quantities.

How do you check food quality before it goes out to patients?

What they are checking: Whether they check taste, temperature and appearance, since patients notice cold or poor food.

Practice this interview out loud.

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The full job description

As published by Advocate Health.

Department: 11903 Aurora St. Lukes Medical Center - Food and Nutrition Status: Full time Benefits Eligible: Yes Hou rs Per Week: 40 Schedule Details/Additional Information: 1130am-8pm including every other weekend and 3 holidays per year. Pay Range: $21.85 - $32.80 Major Responsibilities: • Monitors general department operations, establishes work reschedules, issues daily work assignments and responds to requests for service. • Acts as a resource to employees, which includes training/orienting, providing day-to-day work direction, and giving input on performance. Assigns, monitors and reviews progress and accuracy of work, directs efforts and provides guidance on more complex issues. • Assures employees understand food portioning, pre-serving/serving activities, recipe standardization, infection control, fire safety, and cleanup activities consistent with Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Guidelines. • Prepares general and special diet items in accordance with established standardized recipes. Decides on recipe ingredient substitutions or garnishes based on diet requirements. • Assures all food on cycle menu master is completed by those responsible, on time, in correct quantity and of optimum quality (appearance, taste and temperature). • Estimates food requirements and controls serving portions, eliminating waste and leftovers. Reviews weekly food usage and completes weekly inventory. • Assists in planning weekly retail specials and menus, theme meals, induction cooking, and display cooking standards. • Prepares catered and specialized events including luncheons, buffets, and dinners. • Completes daily production forecasting sheet and verifies numbers with cooks. Completes daily Foodborne Illness Checklist, notes and trends deficiencies, and reviews and resolves problems. • Completes weekly sanitation checklist with appropriate action plan for the production area. • Must be able to demonstrate knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patients served. Must demonstrate knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span and possess the ability to assess data reflective of the patient's status and interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to his/her age-specific needs, and to provide the care needed as described in the department's policies and procedures. Age-specific information is developed further in the departmental job standards. Licensure, Registration, and/or Certification Required: • ServSafe Food Handler certification issued by the National Restaurant Association needs to be obtained within 1 year. Education Required: • High School Graduate. Experience Required: • Typically requires 5 years of experience in a large volume food preparation and distribution operation. Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Required: • Must have problem solving and decision-making skills. • Proficiency in meat roasting and preparation of sauces, gravies, vegetables, meats, cereal, hors d'oeuvres, eggs, soup, casseroles, frying, broiling, steaming, baking, and grilling Physical Requirements and Working Conditions: • Operates all equipment necessary to perform the duties of the job. • Stands, walks, and reaches above shoulders the majority of the workday as well as squats, bends, twists, kneels and climbs throughout. • Continuously lifts up to 10 lbs., frequently lifts up to 20 lbs. and occasionally lifts up to 50 lbs. • Working atmosphere may contain odors from food and dust from flour, spices, etc. • May be exposed to mechanical, electrical and chemical hazards. Protective clothing must be worn as necessary. • Will be exposed to sharp knives, other sharp cooking utensils, heat from ovens and other hazards in a cooking environment. This job description indicates the general nature and level of work expected of the incumbent. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the incumbent. Incumbent may be required to perform other related duties. Our Commitment to You: Advocate Health offers a comprehensive suite of Total Rewards: benefits and well-being programs, competitive compensation, generous retirement offerings, programs that invest in your career development and so much more – so you can live fully at and away from work, including: Compensation • Base compensation listed within the listed pay range based on factors such as qualifications, skills, relevant experience, and/or training • Premium pay such as shift, on call, and more based on a teammate's job • Incentive pay for select positions • Opportunity for annual increases based on performance Benefits and more • Paid Time Off programs • Health and welfare benefits such as medical, dental, vision, life, and Short- and Long-Term Disability • Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses • Family benefits such as adoption assistance and paid parental leave • Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs • Educational Assistance Program Note: Eligibility for programs listed above may depend on your FTE or status (e.g., full-time, part-time, per diem, temporary, etc.); please ask a Recruiter for more information during an interview. About Advocate Health Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States, created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois; Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama; and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs 155,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations, and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to providing equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.

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