Head Pastry Chef – Signature Desserts & Visual Feasts

BGI 14TH STREET LLC; New York (NY); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Bagatelle in New York is seeking a Pastry Chef to lead the pastry program, craft and evolve a luxury dessert menu, and elevate the guest experience with visually stunning creations.

The candidate will oversee pastry production, mentor a culinary team, and collaborate with the Executive Chef on tasting menus, holiday features, and events to ensure top quality and creative presentation.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3–5 years of progressive pastry experience in a luxury, fine dining, or high-volume hospitality environment.
• Experience leading or supervising a pastry team.
• Strong artistic ability with visually impactful desserts.
• Experience creating celebration cakes and signature pastries.
• Knowledge of classical and contemporary pastry techniques.
• Excellent organizational and communication skills.
• Ability to manage food cost, inventory, and production planning.
• NYC Department of Health Food Protection Certificate required or ability to obtain.

Responsibilities

• Lead all pastry operations while maintaining the highest standards of quality, consistency, creativity, and presentation.
• Develop and execute Bagatelle's signature dessert program in partnership with the Executive Chef.
• Create and implement seasonal dessert menus that showcase premium ingredients, innovative techniques, and current culinary trends.
• Continuously evolve the pastry program to keep offerings fresh, relevant, and reflective of the Bagatelle brand.
• Maintain recipe consistency, portion standards, and production efficiency across all dessert offerings.
• Design visually striking plated desserts that create memorable guest experiences and complement Bagatelle's luxury dining atmosphere.
• Develop elaborate, interactive, and shareable desserts that generate excitement in the dining room and encourage social media engagement.
• Create signature celebration desserts, birthday cakes, anniversary cakes, and custom presentations that become a defining part of the Bagatelle guest experience.
• Develop theatrical dessert presentations and tableside experiences that enhance celebrations and special events.
• Research seasonal ingredients, emerging pastry techniques, and global dessert trends to continually elevate the pastry program.
• Collaborate with the Executive Chef on dessert pairings, tasting menus, holiday features, and special event menus.
• Oversee all daily pastry production to ensure quality, consistency, and timely execution.
• Prepare and execute all desserts, pastries, breads, and specialty baked goods according to established recipes and presentation standards.
• Ensure pastry stations are set up, organized, fully stocked, and service-ready by the start of each service, and that opening, closing, and prep checklists are completed timely and thoroughly.
• Conduct daily quality checks to verify freshness, labeling, dating, rotation (FIFO), and proper storage at correct holding temperatures.
• Manage ordering, receiving, inventory management, and product rotation for all pastry ingredients and supplies.
• Maintain production schedules to meet daily operational demands while minimizing waste.
• Ensure all pastry equipment is used only as intended, cleaned and maintained properly, and that equipment or product needs are communicated promptly to the Executive Chef.
• Lead, train, schedule, and mentor pastry cooks and culinary team members assigned to pastry production.
• Foster a culture of creativity, accountability, teamwork, and continuous learning.
• Train staff on recipes, plating techniques, production methods, food safety, and quality standards.
• Lead by example through professionalism, organization, and attention to detail.
• Provide ongoing feedback and, in coordination with the Executive Chef and Human Resources, participate in performance evaluations and corrective action for pastry team members.
• Ensure pastry team members comply with Company policies, the Employee Handbook, and all applicable city, state, and federal laws.
• Collaborate with the Executive Chef to identify opportunities for team development and operational improvements.
• Attend all mandatory meetings and trainings.
• Develop desserts that enhance the guest experience while driving sales and profitability.
• Monitor and manage food cost, waste, portion control, and production efficiency against established targets.
• Manage purchasing, inventory, and vendor relationships for pastry ingredients.
• Identify opportunities to increase dessert sales through seasonal features, limited-time offerings, celebration packages, and premium dessert experiences.
• Support private events and special activations by creating customized dessert presentations.

Skills

Pastry leadership

Menu development

Team supervision

Quality standards

Food safety

Education

Culinary degree

Pastry certificate

Job description

Bagatelle in New York is seeking a Pastry Chef to lead the pastry program, craft and evolve a luxury dessert menu, and elevate the guest experience with visually stunning creations.

The candidate will oversee pastry production, mentor a culinary team, and collaborate with the Executive Chef on tasting menus, holiday features, and events to ensure top quality and creative presentation.