Head cook vs pastry cook

The differences between head cooks 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 head cook, becoming a pastry cook takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a head cook has an average salary of $44,412, which is higher than the $34,858 average annual salary of a pastry cook.

The top three skills for a head cook include kitchen equipment, meal preparation and food service. The most important skills for a pastry cook are culinary, cleanliness, and food handling.

Head cook vs pastry cook overview

	Head Cook	Pastry Cook
Yearly salary	$44,412	$34,858
Hourly rate	$21.35	$16.76
Growth rate	15%	16%
Number of jobs	156,227	136,754
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	Associate Degree, 51%
Average age	42	38
Years of experience	6	4

What does a head cook do?

A head cook is responsible for organizing the food preparation, organizing the kitchen operations, and ensuring the quality of the food presented. Head cooks' duties include monitoring the food inventory, creating new recipes, researching current market trends, responding to guests' inquiries and complaints, distributing kitchen tasks to the staff, and maintaining budget goals while maintaining the highest food quality. A head cook must always adhere to the sanitary procedures and hygienic standards, as well as have a broad knowledge of the food industry.

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.

Head cook vs pastry cook salary

Head cooks and pastry cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Head Cook	Pastry Cook
Average salary	$44,412	$34,858
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $61,000	Between $27,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	San Antonio, TX	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Hawaii
Best paying company	Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics	Sailfish Club of Florida
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Hospitality

Differences between head cook and pastry cook education

There are a few differences between a head cook and a pastry cook in terms of educational background:

	Head Cook	Pastry Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	Associate Degree, 51%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	Stanford University	Cornell University

Head cook vs pastry cook demographics

Here are the differences between head cooks' and pastry cooks' demographics:

	Head Cook	Pastry Cook
Average age	42	38
Gender ratio	Male, 63.5% Female, 36.5%	Male, 29.8% Female, 70.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 10.3% White, 57.9% 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 head cook and pastry cook duties and responsibilities

Head cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Accommodate all campers and staff with dietary restrictions, food allergies as well as providing vegetarian and vegan options.
Follow all equipment and safety procedures in all operations including slicers, choppers, mixers and other meal processing equipment.
Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Scramble eggs, sausage, potatoes, biscits and gravy.
Create and execute menus for the buffets.

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.

Head cook vs pastry cook skills

Common head cook skills

Kitchen Equipment, 41%
Meal Preparation, 15%
Food Service, 7%
Food Preparation, 3%
Quality Standards, 3%
Safety Standards, 2%

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
Head Cook
Head Cook vs Pastry Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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