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Chef manager vs pastry chef assistant

The differences between chef managers and pastry chef assistants 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 manager and a pastry chef assistant. Additionally, a chef manager has an average salary of $53,470, which is higher than the $42,896 average annual salary of a pastry chef assistant.

The top three skills for a chef manager include culinary, fine dining and customer service. The most important skills for a pastry chef assistant are kitchen equipment, customer service, and culinary.

Chef manager vs pastry chef assistant overview

Chef ManagerPastry Chef Assistant
Yearly salary$53,470$42,896
Hourly rate$25.71$20.62
Growth rate15%15%
Number of jobs22,34619,000
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Average age4242
Years of experience66

What does a chef manager do?

The primary role of a Chef Manager is to supervise food preparation. They may work in varies settings, such as restaurants, schools, and hospitals.

What does a pastry chef assistant do?

Typically, a pastry chef assistant provides help in the daily operations of the pastry kitchen or bakery. Assistant chefs work with the head baker and schedule and supervise kitchen staff and other pastry chefs in their day-to-day tasks. The chefs ensure the availability of all ingredients for the preparation of pastries and any other desserts. Their responsibilities involve the maintenance of food item inventory, handling safe refrigerated and non-refrigerated item storage, and rotating stock.

Chef manager vs pastry chef assistant salary

Chef managers and pastry chef assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Chef ManagerPastry Chef Assistant
Average salary$53,470$42,896
Salary rangeBetween $36,000 And $78,000Between $27,000 And $66,000
Highest paying CityCherry Hill, NJAtlantic City, NJ
Highest paying stateNew JerseyNew Jersey
Best paying companyAlameda Health SystemCatholic Health East
Best paying industryProfessionalConstruction

Differences between chef manager and pastry chef assistant education

There are a few differences between a chef manager and a pastry chef assistant in terms of educational background:

Chef ManagerPastry Chef Assistant
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common majorCulinary ArtsCulinary Arts
Most common collegeBoston UniversityStanford University

Chef manager vs pastry chef assistant demographics

Here are the differences between chef managers' and pastry chef assistants' demographics:

Chef ManagerPastry Chef Assistant
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 77.5% Female, 22.5%Male, 55.0% Female, 45.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 10.4% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% Asian, 11.3% White, 51.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between chef manager and pastry chef assistant duties and responsibilities

Chef manager example responsibilities.

  • Manage day to day operation and supervise the staff FOH & BOH.
  • Manage the daily activities and schedules of the other cooks, dishwashers, and prep support.
  • Manage kitchen staff, delegates responsibilities, place groceries order, prepare menus and prepare food base on recipes.
  • Supervise and train all.associates in food preparation, HACCP in-service training and sanitation and safety procedures.
  • Maintain FIFO, daily account of labor vs sales.
  • Receive orders/check invoices, rotate according to FIFO and organize walk in/freezer.
  • Show more

Pastry chef assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage plating and garnishing for all dishes.
  • Manage a kitchen of military personal and Japanese civilian chefs.
  • Control and prevent food waste following HACCP.
  • Review daily stock of case items to determine items to refill using date, texture and FIFO standards.
  • Do all the ordering for the bakery, help with the scheduling, do the HACCP for food safety.
  • Maintain and practice FIFO systems at all times as well as date, label, initial and rotate all necessary items.
  • Show more

Chef manager vs pastry chef assistant skills

Common chef manager skills
  • Culinary, 19%
  • Fine Dining, 14%
  • Customer Service, 8%
  • ServSafe, 8%
  • Quality Standards, 8%
  • HACCP, 6%
Common pastry chef assistant skills
  • Kitchen Equipment, 18%
  • Customer Service, 14%
  • Culinary, 11%
  • ServSafe, 7%
  • Meal Preparation, 5%
  • Steamers, 5%

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