Pastry Chef

WindRiver Living; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

WindRiver Living is recruiting a Pastry Chef to lead the pastry, dessert, and scratch bread programs for the Clubhouse Village dining room, banquets, and member events. The role partners with the Executive Chef to align pastry with the club’s culinary direction, oversees sourcing and cost, and upholds stringent food safety standards.

Responsibilities include designing plated desserts, baking from scratch, recipe development, and cross-kitchen collaboration to deliver a refined, premium

Qualifications

• High school diploma required; culinary baking & pastry arts degree/certificate preferred.
• ServSafe certification required or willingness to obtain within 15 days of employment.
• Minimum 2–5 years in a dedicated pastry or bakeshop role in fine dining, country club, resort, hotel, or high-volume bakery.

Responsibilities

• Design, execute, and deliver plated desserts, petit fours, ice creams, chocolates, and confections for fine dining, banquets, and events.
• Produce all breads, rolls, and viennoiserie from scratch daily; manage sourdough and preferments.
• Develop, document, cost, and maintain recipes and production specs for repeatable results.
• Coordinate with Executive Chef on pastry program alignment, sourcing, cost, and quality standards.
• Plan and execute pastry components for member events and special occasions; ensure freshness and consistency.
• Maintain food safety standards, hygiene, and cross-contamination controls; manage inventory and waste.

Skills

Pastry fundamentals

Laminated doughs

Plating & presentation

Food safety & sanitation

Allergen handling

Team collaboration

Recipe documentation

Education

High School Diploma

Culinary arts Baking & Pastry degree/certificate

Tools

ServSafe certification

Job description

Description

WindRiver is a luxury lakefront and golf community offering a vibrant lifestyle that encompasses world-class amenities, including a championship golf course, full-service marina, Lakeside Inn, resort-style pool, and much more. At the heart of our community is WindRiver Club, a private members-only club soon to feature Clubhouse Village, home to our state-of-the-art kitchen, restaurant, bar, spa, fitness center, event spaces, and pro shop.

The Pastry Chef owns the pastry, dessert, and scratch bread programs for the Clubhouse Village fine dining room, banquets, and club events. This role is responsible for creating desserts that are visually refined and deliver genuine depth of flavor and taste in equal measure, and for producing all breads, rolls, and viennoiserie from scratch daily.

The Pastry Chef works closely with the Executive Chef to align the pastry program with the club’s culinary direction, manages ingredient sourcing and cost, upholds food safety and sanitation standards, and provides a warm, engaging presence that enhances the member experience.

Responsibilities:

Pastry & Dessert Production

• Dessert Program: Design, execute, and consistently deliver plated desserts, petit fours, ice creams and sorbets, chocolates, and specialty confections for fine dining service, banquets, and member events.
• Flavor and Presentation: Build desserts that balance visual composition with flavor depth, texture contrast, and correct temperature and seasoning. Taste every component and every batch before it reaches a member.
• Recipe Development: Develop, document, cost, and maintain written recipes and production specs so that any dessert can be reproduced to the same standard by any member of the team.
• Technical Execution: Execute laminated doughs, custards, mousses, sugar work, tempered chocolate, and plated décor to fine dining standards.
• Quality Assurance: Ensure that all pastry and bread items meet or exceed member expectations through regular quality checks and address any issues promptly.

Bread & Bakeshop Program

• Scratch Baking: Produce all breads, dinner rolls, flatbreads, and viennoiserie from scratch daily, including the maintenance and feeding of leaven and preferments.
• Production Planning: Build and manage daily and weekly bake schedules that align bread and pastry output with reservation counts, banquet covers, and event calendars, minimizing both shortages and waste.
• Quality and Consistency: Manage proofing, fermentation, baking, cooling, and holding to protect crumb, crust, and shelf life; establish and enforce hold times and freshness standards.
• Cross-Kitchen Support: Coordinate with the Executive Chef and Sous Chef on bread service, amenity items, and any in-house baked goods used across the property.

Menu Development & Innovation

• Collaborative Design: Work with the Executive Chef to design, update, and refine seasonal dessert and bread offerings that complement the savory menu and reflect the club’s fine dining positioning.
• Tasting and Approval: Test new items with the Executive Chef prior to menu placement, confirming consistency, yield, cost, and hold characteristics.
• Sourcing and Pricing: Source high-quality ingredients while balancing cost efficiency and a premium dining experience; assist in menu pricing and portion control.
• Dietary Accommodation: Accommodate gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and other dietary requests with the same standard of quality applied to the standard menu.

Inventory and Cost Control

• Monitor and control food cost within the pastry program.
• Receive, label, date, rotate, and properly store all deliveries; conduct inventory counts and practice waste control to reduce shrink.

Event Coordination

• Plan and execute the pastry and bread components of member activities, golf tournaments, holiday functions, and private events.
• Collaborate on bespoke dessert menus and celebration cakes and ensure flawless execution in coordination with the Executive Chef and event staff.

Sanitation, Safety & Compliance

• Maintain clean, sanitary, and organized work areas, utensils, equipment, and storage at all times, and enforce strict compliance with health and safety regulations.
• Follow allergen-handling procedures and prevent cross-contamination, with particular attention to gluten, dairy, nuts, and eggs.
• Store food at proper temperatures and durations; monitor and record cooler, freezer, and proofer temperatures daily. Use, store, and handle cleaning chemicals in compliance with MSDS regulations.
• Comply with all local, state, and company food-handling regulations, including ServSafe and health department standards. Report injuries, safety concerns, and equipment malfunctions immediately.

Team Collaboration and Continuous Improvement

• Foster a culture of teamwork within the kitchen and across the F&B department; provide guidance and training to kitchen staff assisting with pastry or bread production.
• Participate in regular strategy and planning meetings with the Executive Chef to align on goals and address challenges.
• Take a hands-on, proactive role in the pastry program.
• Continuously strive to innovate and improve the pastry and bread programs, bringing forward new ideas that enhance member satisfaction and operational efficiency.

Working Conditions

• The Pastry Chef’s main responsibility is to their role at WindRiver. Any additional employment should not interfere with these primary duties.
• The Pastry Chef’s schedule is primarily a daytime position with some evenings for special member events and holidays.
• This is an active, take-charge position requiring the Pastry Chef to be proactive and involved in all aspects of pastry and bakeshop operations.
• The Pastry Chef must embody the club’s values, making members feel welcome and valued. This includes being a visible, engaging presence and creating a warm, inviting atmosphere.
• Work is performed in a kitchen environment with exposure to heat from ovens, cold from walk‑ins and freezers, wet floors, sharp equipment, and airborne flour.

Requirements

Qualifications

• 2-5 years in a dedicated pastry or bakeshop role in a fine dining restaurant, country club, resort, hotel, or high-volume artisan bakery. Demonstrated scratch bread and viennoiserie experience required.
• High School Diploma required; degree or certificate in Baking & Pastry Arts or Culinary Arts strongly preferred.
• Certification: ServSafe Certification required, or willingness to obtain within 15 days of employment.
• Must be at least 18 years old.
• Candidates will be asked to complete a practical tasting that demonstrates both plated dessert presentation and a scratch bread of their choosing at final interview.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Advanced command of pastry fundamentals, laminated doughs, custards, mousses, sugar and chocolate work, with a developed palate and the judgment to correct flavor, texture, and seasoning.
• Working knowledge of fermentation, hydration, and dough development, including leaven maintenance and preferments.
• Strong plating and finishing skills with an eye for composition, color, and height that matches a fine dining presentation standard.
• Ability to hold exacting standards batch after batch, follow and document precise recipes, and scale formulas accurately.
• Excellent organizational and multitasking abilities, especially under pressure and across simultaneous bake and service timelines.
• Deep understanding of food safety standards, allergen protocols, and regulatory compliance.
• Outstanding communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively across departments.
• Primary hours are daytime shifts with evening shifts for special celebrations or member events.

Physical Requirements

Must be able to bend, stoop, climb stairs, twist, kneel, lift, push, and pull items weighing 55lbs. Must be able to stand and continuously move throughout the workday. Requires repetitive hand and wrist motion for mixing, rolling, piping, and shaping. Must be able to tolerate temperature extremes between ovens and walk-in coolers.