How Much Money Does a Pastry Chef Earn?
A pastry chef is a food service professional who specializes in the creation and preparation of desserts. Using culinary skills and artistry, these professionals create desserts to please the pallet and imagination of diners. In January of 2011, earnings were reported based on 1,006 pastry chefs participating in a salary survey administered by PayScale.
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Average Salary
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Of the pastry chefs reporting their wages to PayScale, total average salaries range from $23,835 to $40,615 per year. Salaries include hourly rates, tips, overtime, bonuses and profit sharing. Average hourly rates range from $10.06 to $14.80 per hour and average tips range from 33-cents to $1.25 per hour.
Qualifications
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Although no formal educational requirements are in place for this occupation, many pastry chefs learned their craft by obtaining a culinary arts certificate or degree. This occupation requires creativity and strong attention to detail because small changes in pastry recipes can distinctively change the taste of a dessert and in some cases, make it inedible. These professionals are often required to work very early in the morning to prepare fresh desserts and baked goods. Pastry chefs who received a pastry and baking certificate earned average salaries from $8.67 to $14.59 per hour. Those with an associate's degree in pastry or culinary arts earned average salaries from $9.84 to $17 per hour.
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Experience
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Experienced pastry chefs report earning higher salaries. The largest majority of pastry chefs have less than four years of experience, and earn average salaries from $24,417 to $40,038 per year. Those with 5 to 19 years of experience earn salaries from $31,347 to $55,100 per year, and those with over 20 years of experience earn average salaries ranging from $37,983 to $62,821 per year.
Geography
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The highest concentration of pastry chefs who reported their wages were in New York, Portland, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Philadelphia. Those employed in New York City earned average salaries from $10 to $16 per hour and those employed in Chicago earned from $10.18 to $12.80 per hour. The highest wages were reported in Washington D.C., where pastry chefs earn from $16.77 to $23.50 per hour.
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