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The differences between pastry cooks and executive chefs can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a pastry cook, becoming an executive chef takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an executive chef has an average salary of $59,416, which is higher than the $34,858 average annual salary of a pastry cook.
The top three skills for a pastry cook include culinary, cleanliness and food handling. The most important skills for an executive chef are culinary, food preparation, and customer service.
| Pastry Cook | Executive Chef | |
| Yearly salary | $34,858 | $59,416 |
| Hourly rate | $16.76 | $28.57 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 15% |
| Number of jobs | 136,754 | 83,085 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 51% | Associate Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 38 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
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.
Executive chefs are considered the lead chefs in a restaurant. They manage the restaurant's kitchen, including all other chefs employed by the restaurant. Executive chefs are in charge of creating menu items and ensuring that the restaurant's menu is in line with the restaurant's identity. They handle the management of the pantry and ensure that it is well-stocked. They also ensure that all kitchen equipment and fixtures are working well. Executive chefs are responsible for training new chefs on the job to ensure consistent food quality.
Pastry cooks and executive chefs have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Pastry Cook | Executive Chef | |
| Average salary | $34,858 | $59,416 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $44,000 | Between $40,000 And $87,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Sailfish Club of Florida | Bridgewater Associates |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a pastry cook and an executive chef in terms of educational background:
| Pastry Cook | Executive Chef | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 51% | Associate Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Culinary Arts | Culinary Arts |
| Most common college | Cornell University | Drexel University |
Here are the differences between pastry cooks' and executive chefs' demographics:
| Pastry Cook | Executive Chef | |
| Average age | 38 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 29.8% Female, 70.2% | Male, 87.5% Female, 12.5% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 10.8% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 9% |