Pastry baker vs pastry chef

The differences between pastry bakers and pastry chefs can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a pastry baker, becoming a pastry chef takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a pastry chef has an average salary of $44,879, which is higher than the $32,209 average annual salary of a pastry baker.

The top three skills for a pastry baker include food safety, culinary and mixers. The most important skills for a pastry chef are culinary, food handling, and customer service.

Pastry baker vs pastry chef overview

	Pastry Baker	Pastry Chef
Yearly salary	$32,209	$44,879
Hourly rate	$15.49	$21.58
Growth rate	8%	15%
Number of jobs	7,096	18,844
Job satisfaction	-	3
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 42%	Associate Degree, 49%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	12	6

Pastry baker vs pastry chef salary

Pastry bakers and pastry chefs have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Pastry Baker	Pastry Chef
Average salary	$32,209	$44,879
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $42,000	Between $25,000 And $78,000
Highest paying City	West Sacramento, CA	Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state	Washington	New Jersey
Best paying company	Hyatt Hotels	The Culinary Institute of America
Best paying industry	Retail	Media

Differences between pastry baker and pastry chef education

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

	Pastry Baker	Pastry Chef
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 42%	Associate Degree, 49%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	Drexel University

Pastry baker vs pastry chef demographics

Here are the differences between pastry bakers' and pastry chefs' demographics:

	Pastry Baker	Pastry Chef
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 40.6% Female, 59.4%	Male, 35.7% Female, 64.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 21.6% Asian, 10.2% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	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	6%	9%

Differences between pastry baker and pastry chef duties and responsibilities

Pastry baker example responsibilities.

Manage inventory of ingredients and culinary supplies.
Use of mixers, and sheeter for fold doughs.
Prepare recipes for a variety of bake items including cookies, pies, cakes, short breads, and muffins.
Prepare glazes and dough, baking cinnamon rolls, baking bacon, creating donuts, piping, preparing pastry frosting and inventory
Work independently to replenish product to pars -mix and portion muffins, scones, cookies, pies, cakes, etc.
Prepare donuts following instructions and safety guidelines.

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.

Pastry baker vs pastry chef skills

Common pastry baker skills

Food Safety, 31%
Culinary, 26%
Mixers, 13%
Kitchen Appliances, 8%
Kitchen Equipment, 6%
Customer Service, 2%

Common pastry chef skills

Culinary, 19%
Food Handling, 11%
Customer Service, 10%
Food Preparation, 7%
Pastry Kitchen, 6%
Fine Dining, 6%