4-H Camp Cook

Join the team at Tanglewood and Blueberry Cove, where the beauty of coastal Maine meets supportive camp communities. We seek talented and curious individuals to join our team. Whether you’re an educator leading a group of students on a forest exploration or a camp counselor facilitating friend-making with a new team-building activity, you’ll play a vital role in creating unforgettable experiences. Here, you grow personally and professionally while contributing to and being part of something meaningful and life-changing. Share your skills, passions, and ideas with us, and let’s make the incredible happen!

Job Overview

Your position will be based at the Learning Center in Lincolnville, Maine. Kitchen staff work closely with the director to ensure the dietary needs of everyone at camp are met. April-May and September-October are flexible schedules where not all weeks will have meal service. June-August follows a fixed schedule; an individual may opt to work up to two shifts (or meals): 5:00-9:30 a.m. (breakfast), 9:00-2:00 p.m. (lunch), and 3:00-8:00 p.m. (dinner). Some weekend work is required. The position pays overtime when accrued outside of the typical fixed schedule; however, we strive to keep to the fixed schedule during the summer months.

• Location: Tanglewood 4-H Camp and Learning Center, Lincolnville, Maine
• Position Type: Part-Time to Full-time, seasonal (April 6-October 31. 2026)
• Stipend Range: $22.08-$23.31 per hour, 30-40 hours per week when meal service is required
• We are not able to consider applicants who require Visa sponsorship support.
• Background and physical check required for hiring

Responsibilities:

• Plan menus, and prepare and cook healthy meals and snacks for the camp, using whole foods and fresh produce
• Work as part of a team with other cooks and assistant cooks in all aspects of food service operations
• Oversee and assist staff in safe food preparation, serving, and clean-up.
• Safely operate commercial cooking equipment: mixer, dishwasher, and stoves; know when machines and knives need repair and specialized cleaning.
• Model safe and efficient ways of working in a commercial kitchen.
• Maintain a clean and sanitary kitchen facility in compliance with State of Maine standards and regulations.
• Work with directors in menu planning, food ordering, and preparing menus.
• Utilize produce from the camp’s garden.
• Pack up food after each meal and help clean the kitchen so it is ready for the next meal to begin.
• Follow established protocols for the camp composting program.

The University of Maine System (the System) is an equal opportunity institution committed to fostering a nondiscriminatory environment and complying with all applicable nondiscrimination laws. Consistent with State and Federal law, the System does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, familial status, ancestry, age, disability (physical or mental), genetic information, pregnancy, or veteran or military status in any aspect of its education, programs and activities, and employment. The System provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. If you believe you have experienced discrimination or harassment, you are encouraged to contact the System Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX Services at 5713 Chadbourne Hall, Room 412, Orono, ME 04469-5713, by calling 207.581.1226, or via TTY at 711 (Maine Relay System). For more information about Title IX or to file a complaint, please contact the UMS Title IX Coordinator at www.maine.edu/title-ix/.

Clery Act

The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, or Clery Act, mandates that all Title IV institutions, such as the University, prepare, publish and distribute an Annual Security Report, (ASR) and provide notice of the availability of the ASR to all prospective employees. This report consists of two basic parts: disclosure of the University’s crime statistics for the past three calendar years; and disclosures regarding the University’s current campus security policies. You may view the University’s Annual Security Report. If you wish to have a paper copy of the ASR or you need to have a copy of the ASR in an accessible format, the University will provide such a copy upon request. Please contact: UMaine Police Department, 81 Rangeley Rd., The University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5794, or call 207.581.4053.

Special Benefits

Rustic housing, meals during programming, staff lounge with wi-fi and small kitchen for personal cooking, access to over 14 miles of walking trails within 3 miles of the Atlantic Ocean.

Minimum Requirements

Knowledge and Skill Qualifications:

Required: 

• High School Diploma OR equivalent (G.E.D.) AND some culinary training.
• Three years of food preparation experience
• Current ServSafe Food Safety Manager Certification, or the ability to have, before starting work

Preferred: 

• Prior experience cooking nutritious and wholesome foods for large groups in a commercial kitchen
• Understanding of food allergies/dietary restrictions and how to safely accommodate them
• High safety and sanitation standards
• Attention to detail
• Ability to work a demanding schedule
• Flexible, team player
• Training and/or experience in sanitation, food preparation and protection, hygiene, and record-keeping
• Complete health screening and appropriate background checks