- What should your pastry chef resume include?
- How can you create a professional summary?
- How should you describe your work experience as a pastry chef?
- Include a fitting pastry chef resume education and certifications section
- Which key skills are relevant for a pastry chef resume?
- How to select the most impactful pastry chef resume template
- Copyable pastry chef resume example
- Key takeaways for writing a pastry chef resume
Want to whip up a resume that’s as irresistible as the desserts you bake? Discover how to prepare an appealing pastry chef resume with this example and step-by-step writing guide on how to display your sweet skills and land the job.
As a pastry chef, the desserts you create speak for themselves. But when you’re applying for a new job, it’s your resume that needs to do the talking. Your pastry chef resume should showcase your culinary expertise, dessert specialties, and creative abilities.
In this resume guide and corresponding pastry chef resume example, we’ll discuss these topics:
How to write a pastry chef resume
Tips for writing each resume section
How to add relevant skills to your resume
The right resume template for pastry chefs
What should your pastry chef resume include?
Your pastry chef resume should show a restaurant or bakery manager why your culinary skills make you the best pastry chef for their kitchen. It should reflect your creativity, artistry, and ability to develop high-quality desserts and baked goods. A hiring manager will want to learn about your background in commercial kitchens and the guest experiences you’ve created.
A pastry chef resume should have these elements:
A resume header with your contact information
How can you create a professional summary?
Like a beautifully plated dessert, your resume summary can make an instant impression. Capture a hiring manager’s attention by highlighting your culinary experience and accomplishments in a brief summary.
In two to three sentences, describe your experience working for restaurants, catering companies, bakeries, or hotels. Mention your culinary specialty, if you have one, and one or two major achievements. For example, you might mention a new dessert you developed that boosted restaurant sales, or a system you implemented to reduce food waste.
Check out our adaptable pastry chef resume summary below:
Accomplished pastry chef with expertise in crafting a wide range of desserts, baked goods, and confections using high-quality ingredients and innovative techniques. Skilled in creating and executing dessert menus, managing inventory, and ensuring consistency in flavor, texture, and presentation. Adept at working in high-pressure kitchens, maintaining strict food safety and sanitation standards, and training staff in pastry techniques and plating. Proficient in balancing creativity with efficiency, developing new recipes, and perfecting flavor pairings to deliver exceptional guest experiences. Committed to maintaining an organized, clean, and collaborative kitchen while meeting production deadlines and exceeding customer expectations.
If you want a hiring manager to notice your core skills immediately, add a bulleted list of skills under the heading “Areas of Expertise,” as we’ve done in our resume example. Outline your top skills, such as sugar sculpting, chocolate work, or high-volume dessert production.
How should you describe your work experience as a pastry chef?
In your employment history section, describe how your past jobs have shaped your culinary approach and expertise. Focus on the value you’ve brought to kitchen teams, not just the duties you’ve had.
List your work experience in reverse-chronological order with your job title and employment dates. Write bullet points outlining your key achievements or outcomes in each job. Include quantifiable metrics where you can, such as sales numbers, production volume, safety compliance records, or guest surveys or reviews.
For example, here’s a bullet point that includes measurable data:
“Created a rotating seasonal dessert menu that increased pastry sales by 24% over one year.”
See our adaptable pastry chef resume work experience section for more guidance:
Pastry Chef at ChocoMo, Seattle, WA 2020 - Present
Lead the pastry, dessert, and confectionary programs, ensuring high-quality, visually stunning, and flavorful baked goods.
Prepare a variety of desserts, including cheesecakes, cakes, muffins, cookies, and chocolates, while maintaining consistency in flavor and texture.
Manage ingredient inventory, ensuring proper stock levels and freshness of all pastry-related items.
Maintain kitchen cleanliness and enforce food safety regulations, guaranteeing a sanitary and efficient work environment.
Train and collaborate with front-of-house staff to educate them on preparation methods and ingredients for optimal customer service.
Designed seasonal dessert menus, increasing sales by 25% through creative flavor pairings.
Developed a new chocolate confectionary line, expanding product offerings and boosting customer engagement.
Reduced ingredient waste by 30% through strategic inventory management and portion control.
Implemented new plating techniques that improved dessert presentation and guest satisfaction.
Trained junior bakers and kitchen staff, enhancing overall pastry team efficiency.
Pastry Chef at Luxury Cruise Catering, Onboard International Vessel 2016 - 2020
Prepared and executed daily production of breads, pastries, and confections, ensuring consistent quality and adherence to FDA food safety standards.
Designed and maintained an inventory of fresh-baked goods to accommodate guest demand while minimizing food waste.
Oversaw the baking schedule, ensuring all items were produced efficiently and served on time.
Worked closely with the Executive Chef to create special desserts tailored to guest preferences and themed dining experiences.
Maintained a clean, organized, and efficient kitchen in a high-paced onboard galley environment.
Developed signature desserts that became customer favorites and boosted onboard sales.
Reduced production time by 20% through improved workflow and batch baking techniques.
Successfully adapted recipes for dietary restrictions, increasing guest satisfaction.
Maintained a high standard of quality control, receiving consistent positive feedback from guests.
Trained and mentored assistant pastry chefs, fostering a culture of collaboration and excellence.
What can you do without any relevant pastry chef experience
If you’re just beginning your culinary career, highlight your relevant training and transferable skills. For example, you can mention an externship you completed in school or a side gig you’ve had selling baked goods at farmers markets. Focus on the relevant skills you gained from these experiences, such as ingredient sourcing or recipe development.
Include a fitting pastry chef resume education and certifications section
While your skills and experience should be the focus of your pastry chef resume, you will also need a section outlining your educational background and professional development. Hiring managers will review this information to understand how you’ve learned and perfected your craft.
Keep these tips in mind for your education section:
Keep it simple. Unless you’ve recently graduated from culinary school, stick to the basic facts about your education. List your degree or diploma and the institution where you earned it.
Include training or internships. If you’ve completed a training program, internship, or externship as part of your culinary education, mention it in this section.
List relevant certifications. Earning a certification can show employers you’re a dedicated chef who continually works to get better. List relevant certifications you’ve earned in areas like food safety, allergen awareness, or advanced pastry techniques.
Associate of Arts, Pastry Arts & Baking at The Culinary Institute of America
Certified Pastry Chef (CPC) – American Culinary Federation (ACF)
ServSafe Food Handler & Manager Certification
Advanced Chocolate & Confectionary Techniques – Ecole Chocolat
Specialty Bread Baking Workshop – San Francisco Baking Institute
Which key skills are relevant for a pastry chef resume?
The best pastry chefs can balance creativity and efficiency in the kitchen. Use your skills section to prove that you have both technical skills, such as dessert preparation and food handling, and soft skills like staying calm under pressure and collaborating with other kitchen staff.
If you can’t decide what skills to mention, look at the job description again. It will often include keywords that you can use on your resume to rank higher with an applicant tracking system (ATS). This software automatically scans, filters, and sorts resumes based on target keywords. (For more guidance on the ATS, read our article on resume ATS optimization.)
Even if a bakery or restaurant doesn’t use ATS software, including keywords can show an employer why you’re a good match for the role.
For a pastry chef resume, some good skills can include:
Cake baking and decorating
Chocolate and confectionary work
Recipe development
Ingredient sourcing
Inventory management
Food safety and sanitation
How to select the most impactful pastry chef resume template
Think of resume design as the plating of a dessert. It can make a big difference in how hiring managers perceive your experience and skills.
Choose a clean, modern, and professional template for your pastry chef resume. Use bolded section headings and bullet points to make your resume easy to read. Select a readable font, such as Arial or Calibri, and use standard page margins.
If you want to show off your creativity, add a few tasteful touches, such as an accent color or simple graphics. Be careful not to go too far, however, as these elements can create problems with ATS software.
Looking for more resume design inspiration? Get started by exploring the templates in our resume builder to find one that works for you. For additional guidance, you can also check out over 100 resume examples we have available.
Copyable pastry chef resume example
Summary example
Accomplished pastry chef with expertise in crafting a wide range of desserts, baked goods, and confections using high-quality ingredients and innovative techniques. Skilled in creating and executing dessert menus, managing inventory, and ensuring consistency in flavor, texture, and presentation. Adept at working in high-pressure kitchens, maintaining strict food safety and sanitation standards, and training staff in pastry techniques and plating. Proficient in balancing creativity with efficiency, developing new recipes, and perfecting flavor pairings to deliver exceptional guest experiences. Committed to maintaining an organized, clean, and collaborative kitchen while meeting production deadlines and exceeding customer expectations.
Employment history example
Pastry Chef at ChocoMo, Seattle, WA 2020 - Present
Lead the pastry, dessert, and confectionary programs, ensuring high-quality, visually stunning, and flavorful baked goods.
Prepare a variety of desserts, including cheesecakes, cakes, muffins, cookies, and chocolates, while maintaining consistency in flavor and texture.
Manage ingredient inventory, ensuring proper stock levels and freshness of all pastry-related items.
Maintain kitchen cleanliness and enforce food safety regulations, guaranteeing a sanitary and efficient work environment.
Train and collaborate with front-of-house staff to educate them on preparation methods and ingredients for optimal customer service.
Designed seasonal dessert menus, increasing sales by 25% through creative flavor pairings.
Developed a new chocolate confectionary line, expanding product offerings and boosting customer engagement.
Reduced ingredient waste by 30% through strategic inventory management and portion control.
Implemented new plating techniques that improved dessert presentation and guest satisfaction.
Trained junior bakers and kitchen staff, enhancing overall pastry team efficiency.
Pastry Chef at Luxury Cruise Catering, Onboard International Vessel 2016 - 2020
Prepared and executed daily production of breads, pastries, and confections, ensuring consistent quality and adherence to FDA food safety standards.
Designed and maintained an inventory of fresh-baked goods to accommodate guest demand while minimizing food waste.
Oversaw the baking schedule, ensuring all items were produced efficiently and served on time.
Worked closely with the Executive Chef to create special desserts tailored to guest preferences and themed dining experiences.
Maintained a clean, organized, and efficient kitchen in a high-paced onboard galley environment.
Developed signature desserts that became customer favorites and boosted onboard sales.
Reduced production time by 20% through improved workflow and batch baking techniques.
Successfully adapted recipes for dietary restrictions, increasing guest satisfaction.
Maintained a high standard of quality control, receiving consistent positive feedback from guests.
Trained and mentored assistant pastry chefs, fostering a culture of collaboration and excellence.
Education example
Associate of Arts, Pastry Arts & Baking at The Culinary Institute of America
Certified Pastry Chef (CPC) – American Culinary Federation (ACF)
ServSafe Food Handler & Manager Certification
Advanced Chocolate & Confectionary Techniques – Ecole Chocolat
Specialty Bread Baking Workshop – San Francisco Baking Institute
Skills example
Artisan Pastry & Dessert Creation
Chocolate & Confectionary Work
Bread & Dough Preparation
Plating & Presentation Techniques
Food Safety & Sanitation Compliance
Recipe Development
Inventory Management
Key takeaways for writing a pastry chef resume
A pastry chef resume should highlight your culinary expertise, creativity, and dedication to creating high-quality desserts.
Instead of describing your duties in other kitchens, focus on the results you’ve achieved, such as increased sales or high guest ratings.
Make sure that your resume includes keywords from the job description to show your relevant qualifications.
Use our online resume builder to craft your pastry chef resume with adaptable templates and AI-powered content.
