Pastry Chef Job Description
Individual pastry chef job descriptions will vary by establishment. If a kitchen's specialty is wedding cakes, expectations will be somewhat different than a kitchen that does high-end breakfast pastries. However, some expectations can reasonably be asserted across the field.
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Administrative Skills
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A pastry chef must be able to accurately determine the full cost to the kitchen of completed items that they sell. This process, called "costing" or "costing out," ensures that proper prices can be charged to customers. Pastry chefs must monitor price lists from purveyors to ensure their kitchens always receive the best price and maintain or increase profit margins.
Time Frame
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Pastry chefs often work long hours on a non-traditional schedule. Extremely early morning hours are common if breakfast pastries are part of a specific pastry chef job. Fresh pastries require adequate preparation and baking time.
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Basic Skills
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Pastry chefs must be able to execute an institution's existing house recipes to the letter. These may include sweet or savory pie crusts, yeast doughs and other dessert creations.
Creative Skills
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While creativity itself cannot be taught, successful pastry chefs should have the training necessary to faithfully execute their individual creative visions. Technique mastery for whichever pastry discipline a job calls for is required, from decorating with pastry bags to doing sugar work.
Considerations
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A certificate or degree in baking and patisserie ensures that individuals have mastered the skills they will need to be a successful pastry chef. However, different specialties within the field of pastry call for different skills, and not all skills learned will necessarily be required.
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References
- Photo Credit pastry image by Aleksandr Ugorenkov from Fotolia.com
