Pastry Cook I

Sonesta Hotels International Corporation in; St. Louis (MO); On-site; USD 42,000 - 66,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

HSA with Company Match

401(k) with Company Match

Paid Vacation

Paid Sick Time

Paid Parental Leave

Life Insurance

Disability Insurance

Hospital Indemnity & Critical Illness

Educational Assistance

Hotel Discounts

Employee Discounts

Job summary

Sonesta International Hotels seeks a Pastry Chef to craft outstanding pastries and desserts for restaurants, banquets, catering events, weddings, and room service.

You will lead pastry operations, develop dessert menus, mentor staff, ensure quality and presentation, manage production schedules, and maintain HACCP safety standards.

A passion for hospitality, creativity, and teamwork will help you elevate guest experiences across our properties.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of pastry experience in hospitality settings such as hotels, restaurants, or resorts.
• Strong knowledge of pastry preparation, baking techniques, dessert presentation, and plated desserts.
• Experience creating desserts and baked goods for restaurants, banquets, catering, and high-volume operations.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and present high-quality pastries, desserts, breads, cakes, chocolates, and baked goods for restaurants, banquets, catering events, weddings, and room service operations.
• Develop innovative dessert menus and seasonal pastry offerings that align with hotel and brand standards.
• Ensure consistency, quality, portioning, and presentation standards across all pastry operations.

Skills

Pastry

Dessert preparation

Bakery operations

Food safety

Education

Culinary or Pastry Arts degree

Tools

Commercial kitchen equipment

Job description

We’re People People. Are you?

We’re Sonesta International Hotels—the 8th largest hotel company in the U.S. (and growing fast ).

With a dynamic mix of full-service and focused hotels across major cities, our diverse portfolio of owned, managed, and franchised properties means we’re everywhere our guests need us to be.

But here’s the thing—we’re not just in the business of hotels, we’re in the business of people. We bring service with passion, loyalty with purpose, and create experiences that genuinely connect—delivering quality, value, and memorable stays across 1,000+ properties in eight countries (and counting).

What this role is all about

Memorable hospitality experiences are often found in the little details — and great pastries, desserts, and baked creations can make a lasting impression. As the Pastry Chef, you’ll bring creativity, precision, and passion to our culinary team while crafting exceptional desserts and baked goods that elevate the guest experience across our restaurants, banquets, catering events, and special occasions. This role is perfect for someone who loves both artistry and execution — someone who thrives in a fast-paced hospitality environment while maintaining exceptional quality, consistency, and presentation standards. You’ll collaborate closely with the culinary and Food & Beverage teams to create innovative dessert offerings, seasonal menus, wedding desserts, banquet displays, and elevated pastry experiences that guests remember long after checkout. If you’re creative, detail-oriented, team-focused, and passionate about pastry and hospitality — we’d love to meet you.

What you’ll be doing

• Prepare and present high-quality pastries, desserts, breads, cakes, chocolates, and baked goods for restaurants, banquets, catering events, weddings, and room service operations.
• Develop innovative dessert menus, seasonal pastry offerings, banquet desserts, and specialty baked items that align with hotel and brand standards.
• Ensure consistency, quality, portioning, and presentation standards across all pastry and dessert operations.
• Manage daily pastry kitchen operations including production schedules, preparation timelines, inventory management, and quality control.
• Partner closely with Executive Chefs, Sous Chefs, Banquets, and Food & Beverage teams to execute events and dining experiences successfully.
• Monitor inventory levels, food costs, waste reduction, and ordering processes to support operational efficiency and profitability.
• Maintain compliance with food safety regulations, sanitation standards, HACCP guidelines, and health department requirements.
• Train, mentor, and support pastry team members and culinary staff on pastry techniques, recipes, presentation, and operational standards.
• Ensure pastry workstations, equipment, and kitchen areas remain clean, organized, and safe at all times.
• Stay informed on pastry trends, dessert innovations, seasonal ingredients, and hospitality dining experiences to continuously elevate offerings.
• Support special events, holiday programming, weddings, VIP experiences, and custom dessert requests as needed.
• Help create memorable culinary experiences that reflect Sonesta’s People People culture and hospitality standards.
• Any other duties as assigned.

What great looks like

• Culinary or Pastry Arts degree preferred.
• 2+ years of experience in pastry operations, bakeries, hotels, restaurants, resorts, or hospitality culinary environments preferred.
• Strong knowledge of pastry preparation, baking techniques, dessert presentation, chocolate work, bread production, and plated desserts.
• Experience creating desserts and baked goods for restaurants, banquets, catering, and high-volume hospitality operations preferred.
• Strong attention to detail with a passion for creativity, food presentation, and guest experience.
• Knowledge of food safety regulations, sanitation standards, HACCP guidelines, and kitchen compliance requirements.
• Ability to work efficiently in a fast-paced kitchen environment while maintaining quality and consistency.
• Strong organizational and time management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and production schedules.
• Collaborative mindset with strong teamwork and communication skills.
• Flexible availability including early mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed in a hospitality environment.
• A passion for hospitality, pastry arts, culinary innovation, and creating memorable guest experiences through food.

Anticipated Pay Range & Additional Job Information

How we reward you

At Sonesta, we know showing up for our guests starts with showing up for our people. That means supporting your health, your financial future, and everything in between.

Here’s a snapshot of what we offer:

• Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance
• Health Savings Account (HSA) with Company Match
• 401(k) Retirement Plan with Company Match
• Paid Vacation & Sick Time
• Paid Parental Leave
• Company-Paid Life Insurance
• Company-Paid Short-Term & Long-Term Disability
• Hospital Indemnity, Critical Illness & Accident Insurance
• Educational Assistance
• Sonesta Hotel Discounts (yes, you’ll want to use these )
• Additional Perks & Employee Discounts

Our Commitment to You

Sonesta is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.