Careers 101: Pastry Chef Jobs

Published on 2008-07-09

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A student who is interested in a career as a pastry chef has many educational options. Pastry chef jobs require an associate's or bachelor's degree in culinary arts, which can be obtained from community colleges, universities, private chef schools and professional culinary institutes. A certificate in baking and pastry is sufficient for entry-level chef jobs. There are several accrediting bodies in the U.S. for baking schools and pastry chef programs. The American Culinary Foundation has approved 169 postsecondary and 91 secondary schools, including Kendall College in Chicago and The International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Atlanta, both of which have received the ACFFAC Exemplary Program Award. Experienced pastry chefs may pursue certifications ranging from Certified Pastry Culinarian for entry-level chefs to the highest level, Certified Master Pastry Chef, which requires the successful completion of a 10-day testing process.

You'd better be a morning person if you want to become a pastry chef: bakery jobs, for example, can start at 3 or 4AM. Strength, stamina, creativity, attention to detail and, above all, a love of food and baking are also important qualities that an aspiring pastry chef should possess.

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In addition to making pastries, a pastry chef's job could involve the creation of breads, desserts, cakes, confections and other baked goods and specialty items. As a station chef, the pastry chef is in charge of the pastry section (and often the dessert menu) and answers only to executive and sous chefs. Pastry chefs could work at hotel, resort, casino, restaurant, bakery or catering jobs. The salary a pastry chef receives varies greatly depending on location, experience and place of employment, but the median annual salary of a beginning pastry chef is just under $30,000. According to the latest report from PayScale, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and New York are the cities in which pastry chefs make the most money. Experienced pastry chefs may advance to pastry sous chef jobs and executive chef jobs or choose to open their own restaurant, bakery or catering company.