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Chef/owner vs pastry chef

The differences between chef/owners 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/owner and a pastry chef. Additionally, a chef/owner has an average salary of $45,199, which is higher than the $44,879 average annual salary of a pastry chef.

The top three skills for a chef/owner include menu planning, kitchen equipment and cuisine. The most important skills for a pastry chef are culinary, food handling, and customer service.

Chef/owner vs pastry chef overview

Chef/OwnerPastry Chef
Yearly salary$45,199$44,879
Hourly rate$21.73$21.58
Growth rate15%15%
Number of jobs64,18318,844
Job satisfaction-3
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 45%Associate Degree, 49%
Average age4242
Years of experience66

What does a chef/owner do?

A Chef/Owner is the owner of a restaurant who also manages the restaurant's kitchen through coordinating the food preparation team, deciding what dishes to serve, and adjusting orders to meet guests' requests. They also prepare budgets, manage and implement new menus and operational ideas.

What does a pastry chef do?

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/owner vs pastry chef salary

Chef/owners and pastry chefs have different pay scales, as shown below.

Chef/OwnerPastry Chef
Average salary$45,199$44,879
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $76,000Between $25,000 And $78,000
Highest paying City-Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state-New Jersey
Best paying company-The Culinary Institute of America
Best paying industry-Media

Differences between chef/owner and pastry chef education

There are a few differences between a chef/owner and a pastry chef in terms of educational background:

Chef/OwnerPastry Chef
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 45%Associate Degree, 49%
Most common majorCulinary ArtsCulinary Arts
Most common collegeBoston UniversityDrexel University

Chef/owner vs pastry chef demographics

Here are the differences between chef/owners' and pastry chefs' demographics:

Chef/OwnerPastry Chef
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 71.7% Female, 28.3%Male, 35.7% Female, 64.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 9.8% White, 56.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%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 Percentage9%9%

Differences between chef/owner and pastry chef duties and responsibilities

Chef/owner example responsibilities.

  • Participate and train staff and colleagues to accomplish different level of ACF certification CEC, CEPC.
  • Control food and payroll costs to achieve maximum profitability.
  • Establish and operate an historic inn including a 40 seat restaurant offering French/California inspire cuisine focuse on seasonal local ingredient menus.
  • Insure that students understand the depth and scope of all class materials as outlined in the syllabus.
  • Edit, revise and correct lesson plans to reflect requirements on the syllabus and ensure lesson plans match the competencies require.
  • Own and operate successful gourmet restaurant/bakery/catering service
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Pastry chef example responsibilities.

  • Hire, schedule and manage a staff of 9 direct reports (5 in kitchen and 4 in caf).
  • Control food and payroll costs to achieve maximum profitability.
  • Follow food safety and cleanliness guidelines.
  • Work as per the HACCP standard.
  • Create specialized dessert items for wine and holiday dinners.
  • Operate blenders, mixers, grinders, slicers, and other cooking equipment.
  • Show more

Chef/owner vs pastry chef skills

Common chef/owner skills
  • Menu Planning, 25%
  • Kitchen Equipment, 16%
  • Cuisine, 5%
  • Payroll, 5%
  • Food Preparation, 5%
  • Fine Dining, 4%
Common pastry chef skills
  • Culinary, 19%
  • Food Handling, 11%
  • Customer Service, 10%
  • Food Preparation, 7%
  • Pastry Kitchen, 6%
  • Fine Dining, 6%

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