Corporate executive chef vs pastry chef

The differences between corporate executive chefs 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 corporate executive chef and a pastry chef. Additionally, a corporate executive chef has an average salary of $77,701, which is higher than the $44,879 average annual salary of a pastry chef.

The top three skills for a corporate executive chef include culinary, menu development and food safety. The most important skills for a pastry chef are culinary, food handling, and customer service.

Corporate executive chef vs pastry chef overview

	Corporate Executive Chef	Pastry Chef
Yearly salary	$77,701	$44,879
Hourly rate	$37.36	$21.58
Growth rate	15%	15%
Number of jobs	88,029	18,844
Job satisfaction	-	3
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 57%	Associate Degree, 49%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	6	6

What does a corporate executive chef do?

A Corporate Executive Chef is responsible for the day-to-day operation and culinary standards of a restaurant. They also are responsible for the development of policies and procedures to enhance and measure quality.

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.

Corporate executive chef vs pastry chef salary

Corporate executive chefs and pastry chefs have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Corporate Executive Chef	Pastry Chef
Average salary	$77,701	$44,879
Salary range	Between $50,000 And $120,000	Between $25,000 And $78,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New Jersey
Best paying company	Benchmark Group	The Culinary Institute of America
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Media

Differences between corporate executive chef and pastry chef education

There are a few differences between a corporate executive chef and a pastry chef in terms of educational background:

	Corporate Executive Chef	Pastry Chef
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 57%	Associate Degree, 49%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	Boston University	Drexel University

Corporate executive chef vs pastry chef demographics

Here are the differences between corporate executive chefs' and pastry chefs' demographics:

	Corporate Executive Chef	Pastry Chef
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 90.9% Female, 9.1%	Male, 35.7% Female, 64.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 11.2% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	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 Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between corporate executive chef and pastry chef duties and responsibilities

Corporate executive chef example responsibilities.

Manage 4-5 chefs , 2 caf managers , 2 meat managers and 70-80 hourly associates.
Manage a kitchen of military personal and Japanese civilian chefs.
Implement HACCP to ensure efficient, safe and sanitary food production are followed.
Develop ready-to-eat and microwavable sandwiches, wraps, pastas, soups and sauces for national and local foodservice businesses.
Oversee daily operations of the chef de cuisine driven teams.
Conduct training sessions for the staff to maintain the HACCP and ISO standards.

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.

Corporate executive chef vs pastry chef skills

Common corporate executive chef skills

Culinary, 20%
Menu Development, 8%
Food Safety, 7%
Kitchen Operations, 7%
Corporate Chef, 5%
Food Preparation, 5%

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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Corporate Executive Chef
Corporate Executive Chef vs Pastry Chef

Updated January 8, 2025

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