Summary:
Pastry chef’s are bakers, but specialize in cakes, desserts and other pastries. Like other types of chefs, they also work in a restaurant and hotel. In addition, they also work in pastry shops and bakeries. They function separately from the other sections in the kitchen but reports directly to the executive chef.
Duties:
The top three main duties of a pastry chef are to place orders, estimate costs and plan menus; improve and discover existing and new recipes; and attend meetings with the other chefs to pair desserts to the main menu. Pastry chefs order ingredients from suppliers via phone or e-mail, but may sometimes go directly to fruit farmers to buy fresh ingredients. They prepare budget for the entire pastry section as well as give training and supervision to new hires and trainees. Pastry chefs are oversee the cleanliness of workstations; ensure that all the kitchen equipment functions well and check the quality of pastries baked.
Education and Training Requirements:
To become a pastry chef, one must acquire either a bachelor’s degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management or Culinary Management. Through these courses, a person will be well equipped in both customer service and kitchen management. There are on the job trainings that can utilize the students to have good leadership and improve different kinds of management skills.
Knowledge and Skills Requirements:
A pastry chef must be basically knowledgeable in baking and in varieties of ingredients. They are known to be creative since part of their job is to design cakes and pastries. Pastry chefs are keen into details, especially to the small changes that need to be done in a recipe. They also have good communication skills for coordinating with customers and other business partners.
Working Conditions:
The type of job a pastry chef possesses requires physical strength. It demands long hours of standing on their feet since they are working inside the kitchen. They usually start working at four in the morning to prepare and bake. They are to work near ovens and do tasks repeatedly. Most of the pastry chefs work forty hours in a week.
Wages:
The basic pay a pastry chef may receive in a year is $30,000. However, this may vary to the size, geographical location and type of the hotel/restaurant where the pastry chef is working. This would include benefits like life insurance, paid vacations and health care.
