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The differences between banquet chefs and pastry cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a banquet chef, becoming a pastry cook takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a banquet chef has an average salary of $48,026, which is higher than the $34,858 average annual salary of a pastry cook.
The top three skills for a banquet chef include culinary, food preparation and quality standards. The most important skills for a pastry cook are culinary, cleanliness, and food handling.
| Banquet Chef | Pastry Cook | |
| Yearly salary | $48,026 | $34,858 |
| Hourly rate | $23.09 | $16.76 |
| Growth rate | 15% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 23,474 | 136,754 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 59% | Associate Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 42 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
Banquet Chefs are responsible for preparation, planning, and kitchen management as a culinary expert. They work in hotels, resorts, clubs, and other facilities.
The Pastry Cook's responsibilities include preparing quality pastry items such as breakfast items, desserts, breads, ice creams, creams, simple syrups, amenities, and others. They are also responsible for minimizing waste and maintaining control to attain forecasted food cost.
Banquet chefs and pastry cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Banquet Chef | Pastry Cook | |
| Average salary | $48,026 | $34,858 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $80,000 | Between $27,000 And $44,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | J.F. Shea Co | Sailfish Club of Florida |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a banquet chef and a pastry cook in terms of educational background:
| Banquet Chef | Pastry Cook | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 59% | Associate Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Culinary Arts | Culinary Arts |
| Most common college | Cornell University | Cornell University |
Here are the differences between banquet chefs' and pastry cooks' demographics:
| Banquet Chef | Pastry Cook | |
| Average age | 42 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.9% Female, 15.1% | Male, 29.8% Female, 70.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 11.2% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 22.5% Asian, 9.6% White, 51.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 6% |