Pastry Chef Job Outlook
Starting a Pastry Chef Job: Where Pastry Chef Careers Begin
In a pastry chef job, you'll be among the artists of the culinary world, baking and dressing each petit four or red velvet cake with the utmost care and attention to detail. Pastry chefs carry on a long tradition of culinary arts, tracing back to the day ancient Egyptians baked their first loaf of bread in 2600 B.C.
Whether it be loading dough into the oven at 3:00 a.m. for the day's first fresh bread, adding dollops of whipped cream to 100 slices of devil's food cake for an evening gala, or adding the final flourish of frosting to a wedding cake before it's wheeled out to the happy couple, pastry chefs can be found working anywhere high quality pastries are served.
The majority of pastry chef jobs are concentrated in the food service and hospitality-related industries. According to a recent Payscale.com survey, the top employers for pastry chefs are as follows:
- Restaurants
- Bakeries
- Hotels
- Food service
- Baking and Pastry
- Catering
- Hotel and Hospitality Management
The Life of a Pastry Chef
Depending on the establishment and type of food being served, a pastry chef may keep extremely early, late or long hours due to the intensive nature of prep work most pastries and breads take. Pastry chef careers are often very physically demanding, requiring chefs to spend hours on their feet. Many chefs work 55 hours a week or more. Cleanliness is heavily emphasized to comply with food sanitation laws, and pastry chefs must be vigilant about hygiene while in the kitchen.
Pastry Chef Job Salaries
What you'll earn in a pastry chef job depends on several factors. Your level of education and experience will come into play, as well as the type of establishment where you work, your geographic location, the number of hours you work, and your exact job title. However, as a general guide for what to expect, the following table shows average pastry chef salary data based on years of experience:*
| Years of Experience | Salary Range |
|---|---|
| 1 – 4 years | $28,287 – $40,187 |
| 5 – 9 years | $32,968 – $46,341 |
| 10 – 19 years | $38,798 – $56,491 |
| 20+ years | $41,638 – $69,603 |
After working for several years in established eateries, some pastry chefs choose to branch out and start their own baking company or catering operation.
Search now for baking and pastry schools in your area, and take the first step toward the pastry chef job you've always wanted.
Source:
- Payscale.com 2010