Are you an experienced cook who can prepare nutritious meals while accommodating dietary requirements and food allergies? Are you organized, self-motivated, and comfortable managing meal planning, food inventory, online orders, and kitchen sanitation with minimal supervision? Do you bring a compassionate, relationship-focused approach to working with individuals experiencing mental health challenges, substance use, and housing instability?
If so, we invite you to apply and use your culinary skills to create nutritious meals and a welcoming environment for residents at Abbeydale Place!
What We Do
Since 1973, The Alex has been a community-based, not-for-profit organization providing integrated primary health care, community support services, and housing-focused programs to individuals and families who experience barriers to accessing traditional health, housing, and social service systems. Services are grounded in principles of health equity, low-barrier access, trauma-informed practice, cultural safety, harm reduction, and person-centered care.
Abbeydale Place and Prelude are low-barrier, recovery-oriented supportive housing programs operating under a Place-Based Supportive Housing (PBSH) model. These programs provide long-term housing and intensive wrap-around supports to single adults who have been chronically unhoused and high levels of vulnerability related to concurrent physical health conditions, mental illness, substance use, and cognitive impairment.
Reporting to the Team Lead, the Cook is responsible for preparing nutritious lunch and dinner meals for 20 tenants. The Cook completes all meal prep and meal plans including completing online grocery and food bank orders, and regularly incorporating new recipes and developing meal plans based on items that are donated to the program with attention to expiry dates. The Cook is responsible for maintaining a clean and organized kitchen through completion of daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning tasks, and regular organization of the kitchen pantry, fridge, and freezers.
This is a permanent, part-time position.
What You Will Do
- Prepare healthy meals that adhere to all resident diet requirements while appropriately tracking food allergies.
- Incorporate new healthy and nutritious recipes into meal planning, at a minimum once per week.
- Develop meal plans that utilize donation items provided by the Calgary Food Bank and adhere to expiration dates.
- Prepare lunch and dinner, including all required meal prep such as defrosting items as needed, cutting vegetables etc.
- Serve meals within appropriate timeframe and Public Health standards, including utilizing the warmer and “cold plate” appropriately.
- Comply with all provincial sanitation requirements including assuring safe storage of food and maintaining food service records.
- Assure that kitchen equipment is used in a safe manner and remains in working order.
- Assure that maintenance requests are submitted online if kitchen equipment is not in working order.
- Maintain overall kitchen cleanliness and organization on a daily basis, including removing expired food items on a regular basis, ensuring pantry is organized and able to be assessed, ensure disposable items (cutlery, cups, containers etc.) are removed from boxes and organized appropriately and the garbage is taken out at the end of your shift.
- Complete biweekly online grocery orders for program while adhering to monthly budgets.
- Complete weekly inventory for kitchen items such as disposable items and complete online ordering as needed.
- Assist with putting away groceries, food bank and kitchen item orders when delivered to program.
- Assist clients with food related requests as needed ex. helping access a snack, juice box, make a pot of coffee, etc.
- Completion of administrative duties such as checking emails on a regular basis.
- Complete all kitchen cleaning duties daily.
- Perform additional duties as assigned.
What You Bring
- High school education and one-year related experience or training.
- Proven related cooking experience.
- Ability to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
- Sound knowledge of basic mathematical skills and ability to read and comprehend simple. instructions such as recipes.
- Ability to adapt and complete additional chores or tasks as assigned.
- Should have a solid understanding of the principles of Housing First and Harm Reduction.
- Able to work effectively as well as part of a team.
- Strong interpersonal skills are an asset.
- Should be self-motivated and able to work with minimal supervision.
- Must have superior documentation, excellent time management and organization skills.
- Must be able to maintain a high level of work environment cleanliness.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office including Outlook, as well as proficient computer skills required to complete online grocery orders.
- Ability to drive is an asset.
- Understanding of/experience working with persons with mental health diagnoses and addictions, experience with vulnerable populations is an asset.
- Ability to work independently and with confidence when dealing with conflict or at-risk populations.
- Firm boundaries yet able to effectively build relationships with program participants as needed.
- First Aid (Basic or Intermediate) – Level C CPR & AED within 30 days of hire date; certification must be valid for a minimum of 6 months upon hire.
- A satisfactory vulnerable sector criminal record clearance and child welfare intervention check are required.
- Demonstrated knowledge, understanding and commitment to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action is preferred.
Work Environment and Hours:
- Works out of Abbeydale Place in Calgary, AB.
- 0.6 FTE (22.5 hours/wk)
- Standard hours are 10:00 am – 4:00 pm, Saturday and Sunday.
- Occasional physical action requires the ability to climb and carry objects up flights of stairs throughout the shift, and to bend/crouch, reach above shoulder height, kneel, and carry objects (more than 20Ibs).
- Occasional time outside in all weather conditions.
What We Offer
*Pro-rated based on FTE
Some of the great benefits The Alex has to offer include:
- 3-weeks’ vacation
- Medical and Dental Coverage
- Health / Wellness Spending Accounts
- RRSP, Student Loan Repayment Program, and/or Mortgage Accelerator Payment Program (up to 5% match)
- Personal Days
- Floating Holiday
- Sick/Wellness Days
- Employee Family Assistance Plan (EFAP)
- Professional Development
How To Apply
If you are as passionate as we are about making a difference in people’s lives, please visit our career centre: Jobs at The Alex | The Alex.
This position will remain open until a suitable candidate is found. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. We will make every effort to accommodate candidate’s schedules and needs in all parts of the hiring process.
The Alex is committed to embedding the principles of equity, inclusion, and diversity across the organization. We are committed to removing barriers to employment that are faced by equity-seeking groups and encourage (but not require) members of these groups to self-identify as such in their cover letters.
In accordance with our strategic priorities, we particularly encourage applications from individuals who self-identify as racialized* or Indigenous (First Nation, Metis, or Inuit).
*The term “racialized” is used here instead of the more outdated and inaccurate terms “racial minority, “visible minority”, “person of colour”, or “non-White”.
For further information about The Alex and its programs, we encourage you to visit our website at www.thealex.ca.
At The Alex, we place a high value on strong, ethical, and professional relationships between clients and primary care providers. Clear boundaries are essential to ensuring safe, respectful, and effective care. To protect clients, medical professionals and staff, employees and contractors of The Alex are not permitted to access internal physicians, nurses, mental health clinicians, or other allied health professional services during their employment.
We recognize that some applicants may have had, or may currently have, meaningful care relationships with The Alex at the time of applying. If you are currently a client and wish to continue in our recruitment process, you are asked to disclose your service provider relationship. Should you be hired, you will be required to transition your care to an external provider within your first 90 days of employment and maintain this external care relationship for the duration of your employment. Reasonable extensions of the 90-day deadline may be considered where absolutely necessary and in the sole discretion of The Alex.
This approach helps us maintain clear boundaries, uphold professional standards, and protect our workers’ rights to privacy and confidentiality.
Standard hours are 10:00 am – 4:00 pm, Saturday and Sunday.
