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The differences between pastry chefs and assistant 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 pastry chef and an assistant chef. Additionally, a pastry chef has an average salary of $44,879, which is higher than the $37,670 average annual salary of an assistant chef.
The top three skills for a pastry chef include culinary, food handling and customer service. The most important skills for an assistant chef are kitchen equipment, safety standards, and culinary.
| Pastry Chef | Assistant Chef | |
| Yearly salary | $44,879 | $37,670 |
| Hourly rate | $21.58 | $18.11 |
| Growth rate | 15% | 15% |
| Number of jobs | 18,844 | 18,054 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 49% | Associate Degree, 32% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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.
It is the responsibility of an assistant chef to support the head chef of a catering business, restaurant, cafeteria, or bakery. Assistant chefs manage inventory and ensure compliance with food safety and kitchen cleanliness standards. They assist kitchen staff in the preparation of food. To get this job, one must be trained in a culinary school, have the needed cooking skills, and must have kitchen work experience. Strong teamwork ability and flexibility to work schedule are necessary for this job.
Pastry chefs and assistant chefs have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Pastry Chef | Assistant Chef | |
| Average salary | $44,879 | $37,670 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $78,000 | Between $22,000 And $63,000 |
| Highest paying City | Urban Honolulu, HI | Atlantic City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | The Culinary Institute of America | Ncar - The National Center For Atmospheric Research |
| Best paying industry | Media | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a pastry chef and an assistant chef in terms of educational background:
| Pastry Chef | Assistant Chef | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 49% | Associate Degree, 32% |
| Most common major | Culinary Arts | Culinary Arts |
| Most common college | Drexel University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between pastry chefs' and assistant chefs' demographics:
| Pastry Chef | Assistant Chef | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.7% Female, 64.3% | Male, 71.4% Female, 28.6% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 11.0% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |