Chef/owner vs pastry cook

The differences between chef/owners 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/owner, becoming a pastry cook takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a chef/owner has an average salary of $45,199, which is higher than the $34,858 average annual salary of a pastry cook.

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

Chef/owner vs pastry cook overview

	Chef/Owner	Pastry Cook
Yearly salary	$45,199	$34,858
Hourly rate	$21.73	$16.76
Growth rate	15%	16%
Number of jobs	64,183	136,754
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 45%	Associate Degree, 51%
Average age	42	38
Years of experience	6	4

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 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/owner vs pastry cook salary

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

	Chef/Owner	Pastry Cook
Average salary	$45,199	$34,858
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $76,000	Between $27,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	-	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Sailfish Club of Florida
Best paying industry	-	Hospitality

Differences between chef/owner and pastry cook education

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

	Chef/Owner	Pastry Cook
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 45%	Associate Degree, 51%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	Boston University	Cornell University

Chef/owner vs pastry cook demographics

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

	Chef/Owner	Pastry Cook
Average age	42	38
Gender ratio	Male, 71.7% Female, 28.3%	Male, 29.8% Female, 70.2%
Race ratio	Black 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, 10.4% 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/owner and pastry cook 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

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/owner vs pastry cook skills

Common chef/owner skills

Menu Planning, 25%
Kitchen Equipment, 16%
Cuisine, 5%
Payroll, 5%
Food Preparation, 5%
Fine Dining, 4%

Common pastry cook skills

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

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Chef/Owner
Chef/Owner vs Pastry Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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