In a commercial kitchen there are staff members who are a part of different teams, all headed by the Executive Chef of the restaurant or hotel, who oversees the overall operations. These sections include:
- The hot section – where food is prepared.
- Vegetable preparation.
- Cold section.
- Pastry/bakery.
- Butchery.
- Larder.
- Temporary kitchen.
The Pasty section of the kitchen is involved with the preparation of cakes, desserts, breads, cookies, chocolate and other handmade candies, and anything else that comes under baking, and is overlooked by the Pastry Chef, who in turn reports to the Head Chef. This division is usually the very creative side of the kitchen, making fancy and artistic creations in terms of desserts and cakes and other items. In many kitchens these days, the staff are given different colored uniforms such as chef coats and chef aprons, in order to easily identify the different sections. Because they work a lot with icing, sauces etc, they need to be attired in bib aprons, in order to keep their uniforms free of spills and stains.
A pastry chef is usually required to have a specific set of skills and talents, among which creativity plays a very big role. In addition to this, they also need to have great hand-to-eye coordination, since they will be required to do very minute artistic work, and need to work with many small tools, icing bags and other types of precision tools. Other skills required by them include:
- Leadership skills – Because they will need to lead their pastry team and oversee the functions of this section, to ensure a smooth operation.
- Time management – Since commercial kitchens are a very busy environment, time management skills are of the utmost importance. The pastry chef will need to be able to manage how the food preparation service happens and ensure that everything is done in a timely manner, especially during busy times.
- Business insight – Since they are working in a business environment, it is best if everyone involved with the operation has some sort of sense about running a business, such as profits, cost control etc.
- Customer service – This is another very important skill for a pastry chef, because they are usually at the forefront meeting customers and guests.
A pastry chef also usually starts out his career in another division as a trainee. Most cooks start out as dishwashers etc and make their way up in the kitchen hierarchy, after they complete their course of study at culinary school. They then select their preferred area of expertise such as pastry or any other. Junior cooks who join the pastry team will need to apprentice under a professional experienced pastry chef for some time, before they are allowed to get creative with the food that is being prepared and served to customers. They will first need to prove themselves to their superiors before they can be given direct preparation and creation of sweet food such as cakes and desserts.
Experience is a necessity when restaurants hire a pastry chef, and the more well experienced you are, the higher you can demand in terms of remuneration and benefits, such as a chef coat with your name embroidered on it.
So, what are the responsibilities that lie with the pastry chef?
- Creation – They create innovative and delicious tasting new desserts, cakes, pastries, pies and other baked goodies.
- Decoration & presentation – They need to be creative and artistic to make their dishes look alluring and appetizing to their customers.
- Stock control – Stock control and ordering of special ingredients that go into their creations should be done by the pastry chef.
- Acquiring produce and ingredients – Since this type of cooking requires a lot of fruits, berries and other special ingredients, it is best that the pastry chef themselves select the best produce they need.
- Cost control – They need to be able to keep food cost and food waste low, as well as assisting with pricing and costing.
- Quality control – Ensuring that the team is working according to set standards and that the food prepared by them is of high quality and consistency.
If you are a very creative and artistic person, then becoming a pastry chef may just be the career for you. Yes, it is a long journey to make until you become a well experienced chef, but it is an area where you can let your creativity flow without any limitations. One you have made it to the top, you can be sure of high incomes and many benefits from your employer, not to mention excellent prospects for starting your own cake shop or even restaurant.
