How to Create a Pastry Chef Resume (Skills, Examples)

How to Create a Pastry Chef Resume (Skills, Examples)

Pastry chef positions are a crucial part of restaurant service, as the pastry chef oversees the pastry and dessert portion of a restaurant's menu. A pastry chef is a highly skilled chef, with a specific set of skills in technical baking as well as creative recipe development. And, the industry is only growing – employment opportunities for pastry chefs are anticipated to see a 25% growth over the next ten years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Whether you are an experienced pastry chef or just starting your pastry journey, it’s always good to have a strong resume on file for landing your next job. Keep reading to learn how to make a pastry chef resume that will grab a hiring manager’s attention and other tips for improving your chances of being hired.

Professional Experience as a Pastry Chef

As a pastry chef, your resume serves as an introduction to a restaurant or chef that does not know your experience. While every hiring manager is different, you can make yourself stand out as the best pastry chef candidate when writing about your professional experience.

Depending on your experience, you may have attended culinary school or trained in a culinary program. Whatever your path to becoming a pastry chef is, you should include the most recent relevant experience on your resume. When writing about your professional experience as a pastry chef, use bullet points to explain all of your responsibilities, any major milestones or accomplishments, and mention any specific data points if you can. If you’re able to show that your pastries or desserts increased the restaurant’s sales or popularity, you want to include that information on your resume.

Personal Information Related to Being a Pastry Chef

Becoming a pastry chef, especially at a popular restaurant, can be competitive, especially as the food industry continues to grow and see more demand.  This means it might be hard to land your dream pastry job, but it’s not impossible. If you do not have enough experience or want to make your resume stand out, consider adding any personal experiences that will further showcase your qualifications on your resume.

A good way to add personal experience to a resume is to consider any other jobs, volunteer gigs, or other experiences you’ve had that are related to the skills you utilize as a pastry chef. This could include volunteer work at a food kitchen or shelter, and any personal catering experience. Have you previously sold your baked goods to family and friends or at a farmer’s market? Include those kinds of experiences on your resume to help it stand out.

Pastry Chef Skills

A pastry chef needs to possess a set of skills to showcase their knowledge and experience. Some skills a hiring manager will look for on the resume of a pastry chef include:

• Pastry preparation and cake baking

• Commercial baking equipment knowledge

• Training development and team-building

• Detail and quality oriented

• Knowledgeable about food safety and sanitation

• Customer service oriented

• Ability to stay calm in high-stress situations

• Creativity and receipt development

Here's an example of a pastry chef resume to help you get started:

PASTRY CHEF RESUME SAMPLE:

BELLA JEAN

_808-818-9782 | bellajean@gmail.com_ 

72-1456 N Mea Lanakila PL, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740

SUMMARY: Detailed-oriented pastry chef with 3+ years of experience working in upscale hotel restaurants and catering events. Experience planning and preparing dessert menus and training staff.

EDUCATION

Associate of Science, Culinary Arts

Maui Culinary Academy

2017-2019 | Maui, HI

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Pastry Chef

Pine Tree Hotel

January 2021  – Present

• Led, managed, and trained a team of 10 professionals.

• Prepared a set of daily prep and recipe assignments to increase productivity.

• Created an original set of baked goods, pastries, and cakes for the hotel’s dining service and café.

• Prepared special desserts for guests’ special occasions and hotel events.

• Worked with local farmers to source tropical produce for pastries.

Assistant Pastry Chef

Kona Wave Hotel & Restaurant

January 2019 – January 2021

• Created a cross-training schedule for pastry staff to help employees learn more efficiently.

• Collaborated with the pastry chef to develop recipes for special events.

• Organized ingredients and packaging inventory to create a more efficient workspace.

• Assisted head pastry chef with quality checks and finishing touches.

• Prepared cakes, breads, cookies, pastries, and other desserts.

• Won a company recipe competition for an original dessert that was added to the menu.

Next Steps

Hiring a pastry chef is a big decision for a restaurant because it’s important to have a good, 

skilled pastry chef to design and implement the dessert and pastries being offered to customers. A strong resume that clearly communicates your qualifications, interest, and knowledge about the restaurant’s menu and customer base will make your resume stand out.

If you want to go one step further to increase your chance of becoming a pastry chef at your dream restaurant, there are a few other ways you can make yourself stand out.

Network. Whether you have been working in the restaurant industry for many years or are just breaking in, don’t be afraid to ask your colleagues, friends, or even a previous employer for help getting a pastry chef job. You never know who can help, so it doesn’t hurt to ask everyone you know if they can help you get hired at a particular restaurant, or find a pastry chef job in general. 

Show what you’re capable of. A pastry chef often expresses their creativity in the form of pastries and baked goods. A creative approach to landing a pastry chef job is to simply show the hiring manager what you are capable of, meaning, bake them a pastry and drop it off with a cover letter and your resume attached. In your cover letter, explain how you made the pastry or why you choose it as a representation of your skills as a pastry chef. You can then explain your interest in working for the restaurant and outline your experience. If the pastry passes their taste test, it could mean you land the job.

Apply in person. If you don’t feel confident to show them what you’re capable of, you can simply still apply in person. Doing so sets the tone that you’re hard-working, motivated, and ready to start. You can ask to hand in your resume to the current pastry chef or restaurant manager to put a more personal touch on your application.

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