Corporate executive chef vs pastry cook

The differences between corporate executive 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 corporate executive chef, becoming a pastry cook takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a corporate executive chef has an average salary of $77,701, which is higher than the $34,858 average annual salary of a pastry cook.

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

Corporate executive chef vs pastry cook overview

	Corporate Executive Chef	Pastry Cook
Yearly salary	$77,701	$34,858
Hourly rate	$37.36	$16.76
Growth rate	15%	16%
Number of jobs	88,029	136,754
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 57%	Associate Degree, 51%
Average age	42	38
Years of experience	6	4

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 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.

Corporate executive chef vs pastry cook salary

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

	Corporate Executive Chef	Pastry Cook
Average salary	$77,701	$34,858
Salary range	Between $50,000 And $120,000	Between $27,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Hawaii
Best paying company	Benchmark Group	Sailfish Club of Florida
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Hospitality

Differences between corporate executive chef and pastry cook education

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

	Corporate Executive Chef	Pastry Cook
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 57%	Associate Degree, 51%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	Boston University	Cornell University

Corporate executive chef vs pastry cook demographics

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

	Corporate Executive Chef	Pastry Cook
Average age	42	38
Gender ratio	Male, 90.9% Female, 9.1%	Male, 29.8% Female, 70.2%
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, 10.4% 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 corporate executive chef and pastry cook 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 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.

Corporate executive chef vs pastry cook 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 cook skills

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

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Corporate Executive Chef
Corporate Executive Chef vs Pastry Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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