Chef de cuisine vs pastry cook

The differences between chef de cuisines 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 chef de cuisine, becoming a pastry cook takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a chef de cuisine has an average salary of $51,926, which is higher than the $34,858 average annual salary of a pastry cook.

The top three skills for a chef de cuisine include culinary, fine dining and kitchen operations. The most important skills for a pastry cook are culinary, cleanliness, and food handling.

Chef de cuisine vs pastry cook overview

	Chef De Cuisine	Pastry Cook
Yearly salary	$51,926	$34,858
Hourly rate	$24.96	$16.76
Growth rate	15%	16%
Number of jobs	18,300	136,754
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 56%	Associate Degree, 51%
Average age	42	38
Years of experience	6	4

What does a chef de cuisine do?

A chef de cuisine, also known as an executive chef, oversees a kitchen's daily operations in public and private establishments to ensure food quality and efficient services. Their duties require cooking and leadership skills because they involve leading menu development and meal preparation, coordinating staff, delegating responsibilities, selecting and sourcing ingredients, and handling customer issues and concerns promptly and professionally. Moreover, a chef de cuisine leads and empowers staff to reach the kitchen's daily goals while implementing health standards and regulations.

What does a pastry cook do?

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.

Chef de cuisine vs pastry cook salary

Chef de cuisines and pastry cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Chef De Cuisine	Pastry Cook
Average salary	$51,926	$34,858
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $74,000	Between $27,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	Urban Honolulu, HI	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Hawaii
Best paying company	TPC Group	Sailfish Club of Florida
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Hospitality

Differences between chef de cuisine and pastry cook education

There are a few differences between a chef de cuisine and a pastry cook in terms of educational background:

	Chef De Cuisine	Pastry Cook
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 56%	Associate Degree, 51%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	Cornell University	Cornell University

Chef de cuisine vs pastry cook demographics

Here are the differences between chef de cuisines' and pastry cooks' demographics:

	Chef De Cuisine	Pastry Cook
Average age	42	38
Gender ratio	Male, 89.6% Female, 10.4%	Male, 29.8% Female, 70.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 11.2% White, 53.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	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%

Differences between chef de cuisine and pastry cook duties and responsibilities

Chef de cuisine example responsibilities.

Manage the staff to insure the consistency and quality of this Chicago style bistro.
Manage BOH operations for this Michelin recommend restaurant in silicon valley
Manage cold kitchen production for a luxury hotel with a Michelin star restaurant
Train and manage kitchen personnel for both locations, supervised/coordinate all relate culinary activities; purchasing, inventory, butchering.
Work all stations; responsible for mise en place, quality of product, and maintaining sanitation standards.
Train and mentore local staff, hiring, scheduling maintain HACCP and production charts.

Pastry cook example responsibilities.

Manage cold kitchen production for a luxury hotel with a Michelin star restaurant
Clean steamers, hot @ cold line.
Serve customers ordering at the bistro.
Work in dining room during Sunday brunch and buffets serving desserts.
Engage in meetings including an annual board presentation of USDA budget.
Focuse on maintaining budget while meeting USDA and BSA nutrition requirements.

Chef de cuisine vs pastry cook skills

Common chef de cuisine skills

Culinary, 15%
Fine Dining, 7%
Kitchen Operations, 6%
Food Preparation, 6%
Customer Service, 5%
Quality Standards, 5%

Common pastry cook skills

Culinary, 17%
Cleanliness, 10%
Food Handling, 10%
Quality Standards, 7%
Fine Dining, 6%
Food Safety, 6%

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Chef De Cuisine
Chef De Cuisine vs Pastry Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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