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The differences between 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 chef, becoming a pastry cook takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a chef has an average salary of $46,824, which is higher than the $34,858 average annual salary of a pastry cook.
The top three skills for a chef include customer service, food handling and culinary. The most important skills for a pastry cook are culinary, cleanliness, and food handling.
| Chef | Pastry Cook | |
| Yearly salary | $46,824 | $34,858 |
| Hourly rate | $22.51 | $16.76 |
| Growth rate | 15% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 65,737 | 136,754 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 38% | Associate Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 42 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A chef is the master of the kitchen--someone who is creative and innovative with food. Chefs are the pride and reputation of each restaurant or dining establishments. They make sure every meal served is fresh and oversees the kitchen operation. They also create recipes, study menus, and prepare significant-high-quality dishes that represent the restaurant. They say academic requirements aren't needed, but anyone who has a passion for food and cooking can be a chef.
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.
Chefs and pastry cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Chef | Pastry Cook | |
| Average salary | $46,824 | $34,858 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $68,000 | Between $27,000 And $44,000 |
| Highest paying City | Urban Honolulu, HI | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Bridgewater Associates | Sailfish Club of Florida |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a chef and a pastry cook in terms of educational background:
| Chef | Pastry Cook | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 38% | Associate Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Culinary Arts | Culinary Arts |
| Most common college | Drexel University | Cornell University |
Here are the differences between chefs' and pastry cooks' demographics:
| Chef | Pastry Cook | |
| Average age | 42 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.8% Female, 25.2% | Male, 29.8% Female, 70.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 11.4% White, 55.0% 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% |