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The differences between pastry chefs and line 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 pastry chef, becoming a line cook takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a pastry chef has an average salary of $44,879, which is higher than the $32,894 average annual salary of a line cook.
The top three skills for a pastry chef include culinary, food handling and customer service. The most important skills for a line cook are culinary, sanitation standards, and food handling.
| Pastry Chef | Line Cook | |
| Yearly salary | $44,879 | $32,894 |
| Hourly rate | $21.58 | $15.81 |
| Growth rate | 15% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 18,844 | 168,993 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | 4 |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 49% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Average age | 42 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
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.
Line cooks are responsible for preparing meals for guests or employers. The term line cook brings to mind an assembly line. This is apt because line cooks are usually assigned to a specific station to work on a specific part of a meal or a preparation process. They are part of a bigger group of cooks in the restaurant. This is done so that meal preparation is more efficient. Line cooks are responsible for preparing ingredients, ensuring that the pantry is well-stocked, and doing their assigned activity in the line. They are expected to be good team players, have experience as a cook, and be able to follow recipes and provide alternatives when necessary.
Pastry chefs and line cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Pastry Chef | Line Cook | |
| Average salary | $44,879 | $32,894 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $78,000 | Between $26,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | Urban Honolulu, HI | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | The Culinary Institute of America | Gate City Bank |
| Best paying industry | Media | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a pastry chef and a line cook in terms of educational background:
| Pastry Chef | Line Cook | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 49% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Most common major | Culinary Arts | Culinary Arts |
| Most common college | Drexel University | - |
Here are the differences between pastry chefs' and line cooks' demographics:
| Pastry Chef | Line Cook | |
| Average age | 42 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.7% Female, 64.3% | Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9% |
| 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, 9.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 8.9% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 6% |