The Pastry Chef is responsible for delivering high-quality, efficient, individualized, and technically excellent pastry and bakery preparation. Working under strict Public Health standards and Company policies, this role manages the daily production and execution of the pastry station to maximize cost-efficiency and ensure total guest satisfaction.
Reporting Structure
Reports to: Executive Chef and Executive Sous Chef
Direct Reports: Confectioner and Assistant Pastry Chefs
Key Responsibilities:
Culinary Execution & Operations
- Manage and oversee pastry and bakery production for breakfast, lunch, teatime, dinner, special functions, and crew mess operations.
- Prepare high-quality showpieces for buffets, show plates, and coordinate pastry demonstrations.
- Accommodate special guest orders, strict dietary requirements, food allergies, and ingredient limitations with advanced baking skills.
- Assist with menu planning, maintain standard recipe manuals, follow the corporate menu cycle, and constantly analyze production for quality improvements.
- Anticipate food counts, prepare and cross-check requisitions, and manage inventory to minimize breakage and waste.
Leadership & Team Management
- Supervise, train, and assist with the induction of new and existing pastry team members to develop their technical skills and hospitality focus.
- Monitor working/rest hours and manage manpower to control overtime in strict compliance with ILO and MLC regulations.
- Enforce company uniform, grooming, and professional conduct standards within the team.
Public Health, Safety & Compliance
- Maintain continuous readiness for internal and external Public Health inspections by executing strict sanitation practices.
- Log daily refrigerator and freezer temperatures in assigned areas according to company procedures.
- Practice preventative maintenance, safely operate shipboard equipment, and report any malfunctions immediately.
- Participate in and enforce mandatory passenger and crew safety drills, pollution-prevention regulations, and correct PPE usage.
Guest Relations & Communication
- Proactively monitor customer satisfaction, anticipate guest needs, and take prompt action to resolve any service difficulties or complaints.
- Keep the Executive Chef and Executive Sous Chef fully informed of significant operational matters, challenges, or accomplishments.
Qualifications & Requirements
- Certification: Valid STCW95 certification.
- Experience: Minimum of 4 years of experience in a similar pastry leadership position within an international 5-star hospitality establishment.
- Skills: Exceptional knowledge of international cuisine, advanced pastry and baking fundamentals, strong attention to detail, and awareness of current culinary trends.
- Public Health: Strong working knowledge and experience with Public Health policies, sanitation procedures, and temperature logging.
- Fitness: Physically and medically fit for shipboard duty, with an ongoing commitment to the company's code of conduct.
QUALIFICATION
- Ensures the smooth and efficient operation and control of the pastry galley and production daily according to company policies.
- Directs, coaches, supports, supervises, and evaluates (with the Assistant Pastry Chef) the performance of all direct reports.
- Responsible for the production, quality and presentation of the pastry and dessert assortment to be used in the daily menus.
- Prepares production forecasts and records leftovers to avoid unnecessary wastage and keep food costs within the budget.
- Supervise the set‑up of the Pastry and dessert display in the various buffets.
- Must have a complete knowledge of the United States Public Health rules and regulations and ensure that they are followed daily.
- Ensures that the Pastry Shop’s cleaning schedule established by the Executive Sous Chef Pastry & Bakery is followed by all team members on duty after each service and exercises proper methods to minimize equipment damages.
- Ensures that the pantry shops are ready for any announced or unannounced USPH inspections done either by the ship’s management or USPH inspectors.
- Responsible for the requisition and transportation of the necessary items from the main stores to the pastry galley.
- Ensures recipes/master list and yields are in accordance with the company’s standards.
- Assists the Assistant Pastry Chef with completing the daily pastry consumption re‑cap as requested by the Executive Chef.
- Ensures that Pastry team members come to work on time, and are in proper, well‑maintained uniforms, with special attention to those working in public areas. Personal appearance and hygiene must be according to company policy.
- Has a thorough understanding of Time and Attendance procedures and is familiar with the contracts and work schedule hours/week and supporting documentation.
- Is aware of and/or acquires the necessary knowledge to comply with the ship’s standard operation, to assist guests and crew members with inquiries.
- Attends meetings, training activities, courses and all other work-related activities as required.
- Accountable for daily production recap.
- Accountable to coach and train the Pastry Cooks.
- Performs related duties as required. This position description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the shipboard employee occupying this position.
- Shipboard employees will be required to perform any other job‑related duties assigned by their supervisor or management.
QUALIFICATION
- A minimum of two years' experience as a CDP Pastry in an upscale hotel, resort, cruise ship or convention banqueting service (shipboard experience preferred).
- Very strong management skills in a multicultural and dynamic environment.
- Very strong communication, problem solving, decision making, and interpersonal skills.
- Superior customer service, teambuilding, and conflict resolution skills.
- Knowledge of the principles and processes for providing personalized services including needs assessment techniques, quality service standards, alternative delivery systems, and guest satisfaction evaluation techniques.
- Strong planning, coaching, organizing, staffing, controlling, and evaluating skills.
- Intermediate computer software skills required.
- Possess a good understanding of basic accounting principles such as numbering flow, “Debits/Credits”, adjusting entries and corrections.
- Ability to write reports and business correspondence and to establish a good rapport with the ship’s Senior Officers and the corporate office.