Pastry Chef

Compass Group USA; Santa Monica (CA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Vision

Life Insurance/ AD

Disability Insurance

Retirement Plan

Paid Time Off

Holiday Time Off (varies by site/state

Associate Shopping Program

Health and Wellness Programs

Discount Marketplace

Identity Theft Protection

Pet Insurance

Employee Assistance Program

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)

Personal Leave

Job summary

Bon Appetit Management Company is seeking a Pastry Chef to lead the day-to-day baking and pastry operations for Pepperdine University, delivering exceptional desserts, artisan breads, pastries, and specialties across residential dining, retail cafés, catering events, and executive hospitality functions.

The role provides leadership to a team, including a Sous Chef Baker, focusing on menu innovation, production excellence, and training initiatives within a collegiate dining environment.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of pastry, baking, or culinary leadership experience preferred.
• Hands-on pastry chef, baker, or dessert production experience required.
• Experience overseeing bakery, pastry, café, catering, or large-scale foodservice operations.
• Experience in higher education dining, restaurants, hotels, resorts, or related hospitality environments preferred.
• Extensive catering and banquet dessert production experience preferred.
• High-volume batch production and complex foodservice operations experience preferred.
• Strong knowledge of baking techniques, pastry arts, artisan breads, desserts, cakes, confections, and current industry trends.
• Demonstrated experience with menu development, recipe creation, ordering, inventory management, and production planning.
• Comprehensive knowledge of food quality, sanitation, food safety systems, and cost controls.
• Ability to lead, train, coach, and develop culinary team members.
• ServSafe Certification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day baking and pastry operations for Pepperdine University.
• Provide leadership to a team that includes a Sous Chef Baker, driving menu innovation and production excellence.
• Support high-profile catered events and VIP executive dining experiences.

Skills

Pastry leadership

Dessert production

High-volume production

Menu development

Training/coaching

Sanitation knowledge

Job description

Our Passion is Food!
At Bon Appetit Management Company we are committed to two things, great food and outstanding service! At Bon Appetit you won't find our managers referring to a corporate recipe book or our chefs microwaving the lunch special. We do not have standardized recipes or central commissaries, instead, our chefs and managers are expected to stay abreast of current culinary trends and bring cutting edge food into their cafes. We are a restaurant company that operates in contract food service. That means you will have the freedom to be creative, take risks, and truly shine. We are committed to our staff growing, trying new things, and learning all that they can. Our rapid growth and breadth of accounts translates into exciting opportunities for our people!

Job Summary

As a Pastry Chef, you will lead the day-to-day baking and pastry operations for Pepperdine University, delivering exceptional desserts, artisan breads, pastries, and specialty baked goods across residential dining, retail café operations, catering events, and executive hospitality functions. This role oversees the university's comprehensive baking and pastry program, including support for high-profile catered events and VIP executive dining experiences.

The Pastry Chef will provide leadership to a team that includes a Sous Chef Baker, driving menu innovation, production excellence, training initiatives, and operational execution. This is an exciting opportunity for a creative, entrepreneurial culinary professional with a passion for baking, hospitality, and developing elevated guest experiences within a collegiate dining environment.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 3+ years of pastry, baking, or culinary leadership experience preferred.
• Hands-on pastry chef, baker, or dessert production experience required.
• Experience overseeing bakery, pastry, café, catering, or large-scale foodservice operations.
• Experience in higher education dining, restaurants, hotels, resorts, bakeries, corporate dining, or related hospitality environments preferred.
• Extensive catering and banquet dessert production experience preferred.
• High-volume batch production and complex foodservice operations experience preferred.
• Strong knowledge of baking techniques, pastry arts, artisan breads, desserts, cakes, confections, and current industry trends.
• Demonstrated experience with menu development, recipe creation, ordering, inventory management, and production planning.
• Comprehensive knowledge of food quality, sanitation, food safety systems, and cost controls.
• Ability to lead, train, coach, and develop culinary team members.
• ServSafe Certification preferred.
• Proficiency

Bon Appetit is a member of Compass Group USA.

Associates at Bon Appetit are offered many fantastic benefits.

• Medical
• Vision
• Life Insurance/ AD
• Disability Insurance
• Retirement Plan
• Paid Time Off
• Holiday Time Off (varies by site/state)
• Associate Shopping Program
• Health and Wellness Programs
• Discount Marketplace
• Identity Theft Protection
• Pet Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)
• Personal Leave

https://www.compass-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023_WageTransparency_BAMCO.pdf

Compass Group is an equal opportunity employer. At Compass, we are committed to treating all Applicants and Associates fairly based on their abilities, achievements, and experience without regard to race, national origin, sex, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other classification protected by law.

Qualified candidates must be able to perform the essential functions of this position satisfactorily with or without a reasonable accommodation. Disclaimer: this job post is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all essential responsibilities, skills, tasks, or requirements associated with this position. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the position posted, the Company reserves the right to modify or change the essential functions of the job based on business necessity. We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with a criminal history (including relevant driving history), in a manner consistent with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the New York Fair Chance Act.

Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.

Bon Appetit maintains a drug-free workplace.