Starting Salary of a Pastry Chef

A pastry chef is a baking professional.

A pastry chef is a specialty chef employed by restaurants, hotels and bakeries to make a variety of desserts, breads and baked goods. Besides experience, one key factor impacting the starting salary for a pastry chef is the location of the job.

National Average

According to PayScale, a pastry chef employed in the United States can expect to earn an average of $10.13 to $14.98 per hour. There is a potential to earn $15.00 to $22.79 per hour with overtime and tips. The average annual salary is $24,117 to $41,721, as of September 2010.

Entry-Level Salary

The median yearly salary for pastry chefs with less than one year of experience is $24,813 to $40,695, shows PayScale data as of September 2010. The median salary increases slightly, to between $25,872 and $40,372, when a pastry chef has been employed for one to four years.

Location Considerations

The salary for a pastry chef varies among cities. According to PayScale, one of the top-paying cities is New York; the median salary ranges from $40,364 to $66,994 per year. In comparison, the median salary ranges from $27,048 to $40,695 in Austin, Texas, as of September 2010.

References

• Culinary Schools: How Sweet It Is—Becoming a Pastry Chef or Pâtissier