Sous chef vs pastry chef

The differences between sous chefs and pastry 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 sous chef and a pastry chef. Additionally, a sous chef has an average salary of $48,716, which is higher than the $44,879 average annual salary of a pastry chef.

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

Sous chef vs pastry chef overview

	Sous Chef	Pastry Chef
Yearly salary	$48,716	$44,879
Hourly rate	$23.42	$21.58
Growth rate	15%	15%
Number of jobs	22,393	18,844
Job satisfaction	-	3
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 51%	Associate Degree, 49%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	6	6

What does a sous chef do?

A sous chef is responsible for directing food preparation and general kitchen tasks with the supervision of an executive chef. A sous chef duties also include customizing healthy menus, maintaining quality check for foods, adhering to the highest sanitation procedures and standards, monitoring food and equipment supplies, suggesting new specialties, assisting customer's inquiries, and managing client's complaints. A sous chef must have excellent communication and decision-making skills, as well as updated with the current food trends to provide the best services for the customers.

What does a pastry chef do?

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.

Sous chef vs pastry chef salary

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

	Sous Chef	Pastry Chef
Average salary	$48,716	$44,879
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $70,000	Between $25,000 And $78,000
Highest paying City	Atlantic City, NJ	Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state	Hawaii	New Jersey
Best paying company	RH	The Culinary Institute of America
Best paying industry	Government	Media

Differences between sous chef and pastry chef education

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

	Sous Chef	Pastry Chef
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 51%	Associate Degree, 49%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	Drexel University	Drexel University

Sous chef vs pastry chef demographics

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

	Sous Chef	Pastry Chef
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 82.1% Female, 17.9%	Male, 35.7% Female, 64.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 11.3% White, 54.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	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	9%	9%

Differences between sous chef and pastry chef duties and responsibilities

Sous chef example responsibilities.

Manage FOH duties, along with customer relations.
Train, mentore, manage and discipline lead chefs, associate chefs, prep cooks, pastry assistants and dishwashers.
Manage a staff of 45 union personnel in preparation of meals for hospital patients and cafeteria patrons for three meals daily.
Control food and payroll costs to achieve maximum profitability.
Manage people and oversee production of high-volume establishment for this upscale restaurant specializing in Mexican cuisine.
Train and manage all culinary personnel, supervise and coordinate all culinary activities, estimate food consumption and manage food cost.

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.

Sous chef vs pastry chef skills

Common sous chef skills

Culinary, 15%
Food Handling, 8%
Food Preparation, 7%
Customer Service, 5%
Fine Dining, 5%
Food Service, 5%

Common pastry chef skills

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

Sous Chef vs. similar jobs

Sous Chef related careers

Sous Chef related jobs

Sous Chef jobs by location

Zippia Careers
Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Sous Chef
Sous Chef vs Pastry Chef

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse food preparation and restaurant jobs