Sonja Heinzel
Bloomington,IL
Overview
17
17
years of professional experience
Work History
Hospitality Director
East Bay Camp and Retreat
Hudson, IL
05.2025 - 08.2025
- Handled the day to day operations of the Culinary Department.
- Scheduled and trained staff for the summer schedule.
- Prepared meals for 50-350 people daily.
- Oversaw the allergies and special diets of guests.
- Maintained all paperwork for the Health Department.
- Wrote menus for different incoming groups throughout the summer.
- Set dining rooms up to accommodate guest groups.
- Served as chef, for groups of 50 or less.
- Handled any concerns of guest satisfaction regarding the culinary department.
Executive Chef
Gill Grilling Company
Normal, IL
01.2025 - 05.2025
- Executive Chef for the Gamma Phi Beta Sorority house.
- Prepared meal with the highest of ingredients.
- Ala Carte menu for lunch set by myself each week.
- Buffet style dinners.
- Food cost control.
- Ordered all food and supplies for the building.
Dietary Director
The Arc in Normal
Normal, IL
09.2024 - 01.2025
- Handle day to day operations of a multi-level care facility.
- Attended all care plan meeting and made sure all MDS and assessments are completed in a timely manner.
- Attended all required meeting.
- Maintained the safety and sanitation of the dietary department at all time.
- State Survey and Peoria health inspection found no problems with the dietary department.
- Maintained all records of weights and diets.
- Implemented corrective action on weight loss/gain.
- Ordered food, supplement needed for each resident.
- Followed recipes to ensure proper nutrition.
- Interviewed individuals for possible employment.
- Upon hiring completed all new hire paper work.
- Trained new employees for the various positions within the dietary.
- Followed up concerns of residents and tried to come to a fair agreement.
- Interviewed new resident for likes/dislikes.
- Complete all nutritional assessments for example new admits/re-admits, quarterly and annually.
- Address problems that would immediately arise during the day.
- Always made myself available to staff and resident.
- I lead by example driven by kindness, caring and respect to staff and residents alike.
- Worked any position that was needed, due to call off or insufficient staff.
- Made my self available to step in and give a helping hand when needed even outside the realm of my job scope.
- Always getting staffs, opinions of meals if the residents liked/dislike and providing a meal the residents would prefer.
- Looking for ways to improve flow of the dietary.
- Making sure meal service was on time and food was hot/cold for that meal.
- Maintained all cleaning logs, temperature logs, weekly calibration of thermometers.
- Order all food from approved sources.
- Kept at least a 7-day emergency stock of dry/canned goods.
- Maintained equipment is good working order. Provided maintenance with a work order if something needed to be fixed.
- Above all else, treated residents and staff with the upmost respect always took the time to talk to residence. I loved to participate is any activities the resident took part in. (Resident Karaoke) was my favorite and highlight of my day.
Dietary Director
Liberty Village of Peoria
Peoria, IL
03.2024 - 08.2024
- Handle day to day operations of a multi-level care facility.
- I have 4 kitchens that I have responsibility over.
- Attended all required meeting.
- Maintained the safety and sanitation of the dietary department at all time.
- State Survey and Peoria health inspection found no problems with the dietary department.
- Maintained all records of weights and diets.
- Implemented corrective action on weight loss/gain.
- Ordered food, supplement needed for each resident.
- Followed recipes to ensure proper nutrition.
- Interviewed individuals for possible employment.
- Upon hiring completed all new hire paper work.
- Trained new employees for the various positions within the dietary.
- Followed up concerns of residents and tried to come to a fair agreement.
- Interviewed new resident for likes/dislikes.
- Complete all nutritional assessments for example new admits/re-admits, quarterly and annually.
- Address problems that would immediately arise during the day.
- Always made myself available to staff and resident.
- I lead by example driven by kindness, caring and respect to staff and residents alike.
- Worked any position that was needed, due to call off or insufficient staff.
- Made my self available to step in and give a helping hand when needed even outside the realm of my job scope.
- Always getting staffs, opinions of meals if the residents liked/dislike and providing a meal the residents would prefer.
- Looking for ways to improve flow of the dietary.
- Making sure meal service was on time and food was hot/cold for that meal.
- Maintained all cleaning logs, temperature logs, weekly calibration of thermometers.
- Order all food from approved sources.
- Kept at least a 7-day emergency stock of dry/canned goods.
- Maintained equipment is good working order. Provided maintenance with a work order if something needed to be fixed.
- Above all else, treated residents and staff with the upmost respect always took the time to talk to residence. I loved to participate is any activities the resident took part in. (Resident Karaoke) was my favorite and highlight of my day.
Food Service Manager
Compass USA
Peoria, IL
08.2023 - 11.2023
- Handle the day to day running of the kitchen.
- Supervising not only my staff but the inmate staff as well.
- Helped prepare meals of the day.
- Made sure the food was cooked and held at the right temperature.
- Attempted to get the kitchen in better working conditions and safer environment for all staff including inmate staff.
Dietary Director
Havana HealthCare
Havana, IL
03.2023 - 09.2023
- Handle day to day operations in a long term care facility.
- Attended all required meeting.
- Maintained the safety and sanitation of the dietary department at all time.
- State Survey and Mason County health inspection found no problems with the dietary department.
- Maintained all records of weights and diets.
- Implemented corrective action on weight loss/gain.
- Ordered food, supplement needed for each resident.
- Followed recipes to ensure proper nutrition.
- Interviewed individuals for possible employment.
- Upon hiring completed all new hire paper work.
- Trained new employees for the various positions within the dietary.
- Followed up concerns of residents and tried to come to a fair agreement.
- Interviewed new resident for likes/dislikes.
- Complete all nutritional assessments for example new admits/re-admits, quarterly and annually.
- Address problems that would immediately arise during the day.
- Always made myself available to staff and resident.
- I lead by example driven by kindness, caring and respect to staff and residents alike.
- Worked any position that was needed, due to call off or insufficient staff.
- Made my self available to step in and give a helping hand when needed even outside the realm of my job scope.
- Always getting staffs, opinions of meals if the residents liked/dislike and providing a meal the residents would prefer.
- Looking for ways to improve flow of the dietary.
- Making sure meal service was on time and food was hot/cold for that meal.
- Maintained all cleaning logs, temperature logs, weekly calibration of thermometers.
- Order all food from approved sources.
- Kept at least a 7-day emergency stock of dry/canned goods.
- Maintained equipment is good working order. Provided maintenance with a work order if something needed to be fixed.
- Above all else, treated residents and staff with the upmost respect always took the time to talk to residence. I loved to participate is any activities the resident took part in. (Resident Karaoke) was my favorite and highlight of my day.
Dietary Director
Generations
Lincoln, IL
02.2021 - 01.2023
- Stayed within the parameters of labor and budget with food and supplies.
- I make any corrections or addition to diet orders of the residents.
- I provided residents with a better variety of menu options.
- I rolled out an always available menu that the residents could choose an alternative meal, if they didn't like the menu.
- I made sure the meal times were accurate every day and the meals delivered hot and fresh.
- If a resident ask for something special, if I could order it I did.
- I was always out on the halls and dining room taking suggestions and talking with the residents on food quality and If improvement was needed.
- I am in charge of all food ordering and well as supplies needed with-in the kitchen.
- I hired and trained new staff scheduled according to the needs of the department to ensure the highest quality service to the residents.
- I stayed compliant with state regulations as well as county public health.
- I also trained all my staff on the the importance of safety and sanitation.
Supervisor, Corrections Food Service
Illinois Dept. of Corrections
Lincoln, IL
07.2015 - 01.2021
- Maintained the safety and security of the institution at all times.
- Planned all meals for the upcoming week.
- Ordered and inventoried all food received into the institution.
- Maintained all tool control log books as well a toxic chemicals.
- Maintains Food Safety and Sanitation Certificate.
- Reviewed recipes regularly to identify ways to improve food quality.
- Reached out to food bank to improve meals as well as add more nutrition to offender population.
- Maintained a staff of 30 offenders at any give time.
- Lead by example and held offenders to a high standard.
- Developed offender daily, weekly and monthly cleaning list, always making sure task are complete.
- Developed an offender evaluation, that could be used as a job reference once offender left the institution. First type of evaluation done in DOC.
- Completed all task assigned to my by Food Service Program Manager with little to no supervision.
- Maintained great working relationship with co-workers as well as administration.
- Completed all necessary paperwork in a timely fashion.
- I spearheaded the bakers apprenticeship program. A US dept of Labor back program that through the course of 3 years teaches offenders a set of skills that after the course of the program. They will receive a certificate that is back by the US dept of Labor. I maintained all records for each apprentice as well as signed off on the contracts they would receive for good time. I was hand picked by the Food Service Manager to run this program. It was a program I truly believed would make a difference in a offenders life. A program that I was very passionate about.
Assistant Manager
Monicals Pizza
Normal, IL
05.2008 - 07.2015
- Handled all the day to day business of a successful restaurant.
- Hired and developed staff.
- Handled the evaluations and salary increases.
- Handled food cost and labor cost to maintain margins.
- Maintained a staff of 25-30 workers at any given time.
- Ordered all food, paper products and produce to meet the needs of the restaurant.
- Developed and maintained effective working relationships with team members, other management and customers.
- Set expectations and modeled excellent service by projection positive attitude and enthusiasm toward the job, company and customers.
- Collaborated with store manager to direct and delegate work assignments and ensure execution of plans and strategies across the store.
- Took care of all monthly inventories as well as opening and closing store and taking care of all money at the beginning and ending of each shift.
Timeline
Hospitality Director
East Bay Camp and Retreat
05.2025 - 08.2025
Executive Chef
Gill Grilling Company
01.2025 - 05.2025
Dietary Director
The Arc in Normal
09.2024 - 01.2025
Dietary Director
Liberty Village of Peoria
03.2024 - 08.2024
Food Service Manager
Compass USA
08.2023 - 11.2023
Dietary Director
Havana HealthCare
03.2023 - 09.2023
Dietary Director
Generations
02.2021 - 01.2023
Supervisor, Corrections Food Service
Illinois Dept. of Corrections
07.2015 - 01.2021
Assistant Manager
Monicals Pizza
05.2008 - 07.2015