Pastry Cook I

reitmr; St. Louis (MO); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance

Health Savings Account with Company e

401(k) Retirement Plan with Company  M

Paid Vacation & Sick Time

Paid Parental Leave

Company-Paid Life Insurance

Job summary

Sonesta International Hotels seeks a Pastry Chef to craft exceptional desserts and baked goods across restaurants, banquets, catering, and events. You will lead creativity with precision, maintaining quality, presentation, and consistency in a fast-paced hospitality environment.

You will collaborate with culinary teams, develop seasonal pastry offerings, and ensure guest experiences reflect Sonesta's hospitality standards.

Qualifications

• Culinary or Pastry Arts degree preferred.
• 2+ years of pastry operations experience in hospitality.
• Strong knowledge of pastry preparation, baking techniques, dessert presentation, chocolate work, bread production, and plated desserts.
• Experience creating desserts for restaurants, banquets, catering, and high-volume operations.
• Strong attention to detail with a passion for presentation and guest experience.
• Knowledge of food safety regulations, sanitation standards, HACCP guidelines, and kitchen compliance.
• Ability to work efficiently in a fast-paced kitchen while maintaining quality and consistency.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.

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 standards.
• Ensure consistency, quality, portioning, and presentation across pastry operations.
• Manage daily pastry kitchen operations including production schedules, prep timelines, inventory, and QC.
• Collaborate with Executive Chefs, Sous Chefs, Banquets, and F&B teams to execute events and dining experiences.
• Monitor inventory levels, food costs, waste reduction, and ordering processes.

Skills

Pastry knowledge

Team collaboration

Attention to detail

Guest experience focus

Education

Culinary or Pastry Arts degree

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.

• 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 I