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The differences between chef/caterings and pastry chefs can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a chef/catering and a pastry chef. Additionally, a chef/catering has an average salary of $47,693, which is higher than the $44,879 average annual salary of a pastry chef.
The top three skills for a chef/catering include culinary, kitchen equipment and menu planning. The most important skills for a pastry chef are culinary, food handling, and customer service.
| Chef/Catering | Pastry Chef | |
| Yearly salary | $47,693 | $44,879 |
| Hourly rate | $22.93 | $21.58 |
| Growth rate | 15% | 15% |
| Number of jobs | 20,512 | 18,844 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 50% | Associate Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A Chef/Caterer is responsible for cooking dishes at events. They direct the kitchen staff and wait personnel in serving the food, attending to food stations, and setting up buffet tables.
Pastry chefs are culinary artists specializing in the creation of desserts, bread, and sweets. They order supplies and ingredients for the restaurant, aside from creating, decorating, and presenting pastries. They are in charge of recruiting employees to aid in pastry goods production and other enterprise aspects. The skills required for this job are attention to detail, experience as a baker or any relevant role, knowledge about sanitation principles, creativity, and leadership skills.
Chef/caterings and pastry chefs have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Chef/Catering | Pastry Chef | |
| Average salary | $47,693 | $44,879 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $84,000 | Between $25,000 And $78,000 |
| Highest paying City | Newark, NJ | Urban Honolulu, HI |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Cornell University | The Culinary Institute of America |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Media |
There are a few differences between a chef/catering and a pastry chef in terms of educational background:
| Chef/Catering | Pastry Chef | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 50% | Associate Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Culinary Arts | Culinary Arts |
| Most common college | Boston University | Drexel University |
Here are the differences between chef/caterings' and pastry chefs' demographics:
| Chef/Catering | Pastry Chef | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 71.6% Female, 28.4% | Male, 35.7% Female, 64.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 10.7% White, 54.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |