How Much Does a Pastry Chef Get Paid?
Those who love to bake and whip up mouth-watering desserts may find a career as a pastry chef rewarding. Pastry chefs work in a variety of settings, including bakeries, restaurants, markets, hotels and even theme parks, often beginning their days very early in the morning. Before deciding if a career as a pastry chef is right to you, it's helpful to consider the pay range and job outlook for such positions.
Other People Are Reading
-
Income
-
Pastry chefs in the United States make between $10.06 and $14.79 per hour on average, according to the website PayScale. In total, that comes out to between $23,773 and $40,698 per year as of December 2010. Income depends on education, level of experience and location.
Education
-
Aspiring pastry chefs may train through a certificate program or an associate's degree program. Bachelor's degree programs offer further formal instruction. Pastry chefs must use precise measurements and understand the chemical reactions among ingredients; therefore, math and science courses are essential to a pastry chef's education.
-
Certification
-
The American Culinary Federation (ACF) provides certification for pastry chefs. To qualify for certification, the candidate must meet standards based on a combination of experience and formal training. The ACF offers four tiers of pastry chef certification: pastry culinarian, working pastry chef, executive pastry chef and master pastry chef.
Considerations
-
Between 2008 and 2018, job growth for highly skilled chefs, including pastry chefs, is expected to grow by eight percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. PayScale lists Whole Foods, Marriott, Bon Appetit Management Company, The Walt Disney Company and Max Restaurant Group as popular employers of pastry chefs as of December 2010.
-
References
- Photo Credit cream cake and fruit cake image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com
