Loretta Swain
Summary
Talented kitchen leader for over 30 years of experience in preparing and serving diverse foods. Motivates employees to exceed customer expectations in high-volume settings while maintaining strong quality and cost controls. Service-oriented with good multitasking, safety management and decision-making skills.
Reputation for resolving problems, improving customer satisfaction, and driving overall operational improvements. Expertise in budgeting, hiring and financial administration. Successful history of leading streamlined and efficient operation within guidelines. Performance-minded and team-oriented with hands-on approach.
Overview
11
11
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Dining Services Director
Edgewood Vista
06.2023 - 03.2024
- Monitored food production and corrected issues in preparation, portioning, or other areas.
- Mentored new hires and junior team members by sharing industry knowledge, best practices, and fostering a supportive learning environment.
- Ensured regulatory compliance with food safety standards to maintain a safe dining environment for all patrons.
- Implemented customer feedback systems to continuously improve the overall dining experience for patrons.
- Managed risk effectively by identifying potential issues in advance and implementing proactive measures to address them.
- Promoted a culture of continuous improvement through regular staff evaluations and performance reviews.
- Boosted overall profit margins by evaluating food costs, reducing waste, and managing inventory effectively.
- Established strong vendor relationships, resulting in better quality products and cost reduction opportunities.
Kitchen, Social Quarters Manager and Event Coordinator
Loyal Order of Moose
03.2021 - 04.2023
- Supervised all kitchen, bar and events.
- Prepared meals in accordance with customer dietary requests
- Washed, peeled and prepared ingredients for commercial kitchen
- Ensured cooked food was correct temperature according to compliance guidelines
- Maintained recipe quality
- Set prep station
- Catered events
- In charge of scheduling events.
- Created and deployed successful strategies to boost restaurant performance, streamline food prep processes and reduce waste
- Scheduled and received food and beverage deliveries, adhering to food cost and budget
- Conducted daily checks of refrigerators and freezers to verify proper food storage, container labeling, and surface cleaning
- Developed kitchen staff through training, disciplinary action, and performance reviews
- Developed and maintained professional relationships with suppliers to acquire high-quality ingredients and products with reasonable prices
- Implemented and maintained food safety and sanitation standards to establish safe handling and preparation of food
- Trained staff on proper cooking procedures as well as safety regulations and productivity strategies
- Maintained kitchen cleanliness and sanitation through correct procedures and scheduled cleaning of surfaces and equipment
- Analyzed sales data to identify trends and adjust purchasing decisions accordingly
- Managed staff schedules and maintained adequate coverage for all shifts
- Accomplished multiple tasks within established timeframes.
- Resolved staff member conflicts, actively listening to concerns and finding appropriate middle ground.
- Onboarded new employees with training and new hire documentation.
- Enhanced customer satisfaction by resolving disputes promptly, maintaining open lines of communication, and ensuring high-quality service delivery.
- Managed and motivated employees to be productive and engaged in work.
Caregiver
FirstLight Home Care
07.2020 - 03.2021
- Assisted clients with mobility
- Assisted clients with mobility
- Assisted with clients' personal supervision
- Transported clients to scheduled appointments
- Assisted clients in running errands
- Monitored vital signs
- Monitored client nutritional requirements
CookWellington Senior
Living
08.2019 - 01.2020
- Supervised kitchen quality standards
- Followed proper safe handling policies
- Supervised all kitchen procedures
- Prepared meals and took into account customer food allergies
- Prepared beverages orders
- Prepped ingredients
- Stocked production cooler
- Operated deep fryer
- Managed kitchen
- Prepared meals in accordance with customer dietary requests
- Washed, peeled and prepared ingredients for commercial kitchen
- Ensured cooked food was correct temperature according to compliance guidelines
- Maintained recipe quality
- Set prep station
- Operated kitchen appliances, such as Deep Fryer, Grill, Ovens
- Responsible for cleaning kitchen
- Prepared food items in compliance with recipes and portioning control guidelines.
Daycare Provider/Teacher
Little Lambs Daycare
09.2018 - 07.2019
- Cared for children ages 6 weeks to 1 in nurturing and age-appropriate way
- Developed lessons and activities to promote children's physical and emotional development
- Managed safety and security of all children under care
- Observed children to proactively identify issues with emotional or physical development and worked with parents and supervisors to address concerns
- Consulted with families to discuss activities
- Used positive reinforcement techniques to promote patience and other good behaviors in children
- Kept notes of behavior issues, food served and medications administered to children
- Met with parents about daily activities, positive developments and issues
- Monitored entrances and exits to maintain safety and organized environments and behaviors of each child
- Sanitized dishes, tabletops, toys and frequently touched surfaces to prevent spreading of germs.
Manager
Wildcat Pizzeria
02.2018 - 08.2018
- Achieved or exceeded financial goals on regular basis by controlling expenses, optimizing schedules and regulating inventory usage
- Set and managed schedules to give proper coverage to required areas and meet customer service demands.
- Adjusted job assignments and schedules to keep pace with dynamic business needs, factoring in processes, employee knowledge and customer demands
- Conducted scheduled and impromptu evaluations to assess work performance
- Handled day-to-day operations
- Recorded inventory sales into organization's weekly income reports
- Trained new employees in specific job requirements
- Complete weekly payroll for 25 employees using Quick books
- Demonstrated new products, procedures and techniques to employees
- Reconciled daily sales transactions to balance and log day-to-day revenue with Lavu
- Interviewed and hired strong candidates for team openings
- Increased customer retention and satisfaction by closely monitored team member performance and assessing problematic practices
- Controlled costs and optimized spending via restructuring of budgets for labor, capital assets, inventory purchasing, and technology upgrades
- Applied strong leadership talents and problem-solving skills to maintain team efficiency and organize workflow
- Resolved staff member conflicts, actively listening to concerns and finding appropriate middle ground
- Onboarded new employees with training and new hire documentation
- Managed and motivated employees to be productive and engaged in work.
Cook
Little Lambs Daycare
10.2016 - 02.2018
- Prepare and serve breakfast, lunch and snack for children
- Plan monthly menu, purchase groceries according to menu
- Log temps daily, check food temps, log in food portions into State CCAP handbook
- Use cooking utensils, prepared cooking supplies, ingredients and workstations during opening and closing procedures to maximize efficiency
- Sanitized kitchen surfaces and equipment by cleaning grills, griddles, ovens and fryers
- Inspected kitchen equipment and appliances to verify proper working order.
- Prepared food items in compliance with recipes and portioning control guidelines
- Checked for quality, kept track of old and new items and rotated stock to confirm freshness of food and ingredients
- Changed and sanitized cutting boards, benches, and surfaces between tasks to avoid cross-contamination
- Managed time by organizing and prioritizing kitchen duties to prepare and serve food quickly
- Coordinated checklists to keep kitchen clean, stocked and sanitary
Cashier
Leevers Supermarkets Inc
05.2013 - 02.2016
- Handle payments from customers purchasing goods, greet customers, use scanner, cash register, and calculators for items purchased by customers
- Accept payments from customers and give change and receipt, bag or wrap purchases
- Process returns and exchanges of merchandise, inspecting returned items
- Reviewed and resolved differences between accounting information and cash drawer
- Requested official identification for tobacco purchases and verified details, consistently meeting strict legal standards of underage sales
- Answered questions about store policies and concerns to support positive customer experiences
- Checked bills with counterfeit pens and examined coins to spot and refuse foreign currency
- Replenished sales floor merchandise and organized shelves, racks and bins for optimal appearance
- Used cash registers and POS systems to request and record customer orders and compute bills.
- Worked flexible schedule and extra shifts to meet business needs
- Welcomed customers and helped determine their needs
- Tallied cash drawer at beginning and end of each work shift
- Stocked, tagged and displayed merchandise as required
- Greeted customers entering store and responded promptly to customer needs.
- Worked flexible schedule and extra shifts to meet business needs.
- Operated cash register for cash, check, and credit card transactions with excellent accuracy levels.
- Maintained a balanced cash drawer, ensuring accurate accounting at the end of each shift.
Education
Some College (No Degree) - Liberal Arts And General Studies
Turtle Mountain Community College
Belcourt, NDHigh School Diploma -
St John Public
Saint John, ND05.1994
Skills
- Leadership
- Purchasing
- Food Production
- Project Management
- Food Safety
- QuickBooks
- Recruiting
- Sanitation Standards
- Problem Solving
- Planning
Certification
Managers Servsafe Certification
Additional Information
References
Deb Olsen (218) 491-5343
Lolly Gorze (701) 721-0246
Lynae Voller (701) 208-1558
Timeline
Dining Services Director
Edgewood Vista
06.2023 - 03.2024
Kitchen, Social Quarters Manager and Event Coordinator
Loyal Order of Moose
03.2021 - 04.2023
Caregiver
FirstLight Home Care
07.2020 - 03.2021
CookWellington Senior
Living
08.2019 - 01.2020
Daycare Provider/Teacher
Little Lambs Daycare
09.2018 - 07.2019
Manager
Wildcat Pizzeria
02.2018 - 08.2018
Cook
Little Lambs Daycare
10.2016 - 02.2018
Cashier
Leevers Supermarkets Inc
05.2013 - 02.2016
Some College (No Degree) - Liberal Arts And General Studies
Turtle Mountain Community College
High School Diploma -
St John Public