Pastry Chef Jobs On Cruise Ships
The Pastry Chef onboard a cruise ship is a member of the Galley staff (the Galley is the term used to describe the kitchen on cruise ships) and is the head of the Pastry and Bakery sections. The cruise ship Pastry Chef heads up a culinary brigade composed of Sous Chefs, Chefs de Partie and Demi Chefs de Partie. Ultimately, the Pastry Chef reports to the executive chef on the cruise ship.
The cruise ship Pastry Chef is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Pastry and Bakery sections and the production of all pastry and bakery goods. Pastry Chef job responsibilities also include menu costing, portion standardization, supervision of food preparation and hygiene standards in the Pastry area. The principal job of the Pastry Chef on a cruise ship is to ensure the production of all desserts, cakes, ice-cream, cookies, macarons, breads, croissants, danishes, muffins, tea-time gourmandizes and others pastry and bakery goods available to passengers and crew in the various food outlets and buffets found on the cruise ship.
Cruise ship Pastry Chefs are expected to produce from scratch fresh pastry and bakery goods daily for a population of up to 6000 passengers and crew. The various food outlets where pastry goods will be made available include, specialty restaurants, buffets, dining rooms, patisseries, special events, passengers suites and officers and crew mess outlets.
Cruise ship pastry chef recruitment
Cruise ship Pastry Chef job description
The principal cruise ship Pastry Chef’s job is the production of all pastry goods which include desserts, cakes, pies, ice-cream, sorbets, cookies, macarons, breads, croissants, danishes, muffins, tea-time gourmandizes, and others pastry and bakery goods available to passengers in the various food outlets and buffets found on the cruise ship.
Other job responsibilities of a cruise ship Pastry Chef include:
- Management of the day-to-day operation of the Pasty and Bakery section of the cruise line culinary department.
- Management of a culinary team, duty allocations, time management, evaluation of performance of direct reports, training and coaching of direct reports.
- Ensuring that all produced Pastry and Bakery goods meet the high culinary standards and cost and quality control guidelines established by the corporate office of the cruise line.
- Production of low-fat, low calorie conversions, gluten-free deserts.
- Ensuring that all pastries, desserts and buffets are well displayed with a strong focus on decoration and aesthetics.
- Ensuring that all venues where Pastry and Bakery goods are made available to cruise line passengers and crew are properly replenished at all times.
- Monitoring all stocks for all ingredients required for the production of all Pastry and Bakery goods (sugar, flour, eggs, etc).
- Adherence and compliance with all hygiene, safety and environmental regulations and all guidelines established by company and governmental bodies such as USHP.
- Inventory management, waste management, cleanliness of all working areas, handling and care of all equipment in the Pastry section.
Job requirements for cruise ship Pastry Chefs
A minimum of 3 years of experience in the position of Pastry Chef in high-end establishments is required. Experience working in cruise ships and hotels is preferred.
- Experience in managing a brigade
- A Culinary diplomawith specialization in Pastry, Bakery, Confectionary, Confiserie
- National certificates such as, CAP Pâtissier, CAP Chocolatier, BTM Pâtissier, NVQ Level 2
- Experience with high-volume production whilst maintaining high standards and attention to details
- Experience in both the production of Pastry and Bakery goods, ice-cream production and preparation of all Pastry and Bakery goods from scratch
- Experience in glazing, pastillage, working with chocolate and sugar, applying icing. Experience in wedding cake production is a plus
- Experience in production of low-fat, low calorie, gluten-free deserts
- HACCP Training course
- Good interpersonal, customer service and communication skills
- A valid passport and eligibility for a USA C1D visa
- Fluency in English (written, grammar and spoken language)
- All culinary personnel are required to pass a statutory medical fitness exam prior to joining a ship
Benefits of working as a Pastry Chef on a cruise ship
Along with a challenging career and worldwide travel opportunities, cruise lines offer many other job benefits. Pastry Chefs are offered single cabin accommodations and competitive remuneration packages. Travel to and from the ships to the nearest international airport is paid for by the hiring cruise line. In addition a uniform set is also provided by the cruise line.
Cruise ship Pastry Chef’s salary range
The cruise ship Pastry Chef job salary varies between cruise lines. In addition to the monthly salary paid by the cruise lines, all expenses such as flights to and from the ship, single status accommodations and uniforms are provided by the cruise lines at no cost.
Most Pastry Chefs working on cruise ships can expect to earn anywhere between $4000 to $6000 monthly. Factors such as previous ship experience, years of experience and certifications may be taken into consideration when determining the starting salary.
If you are looking for cruise ship Chef career opportunities, check our list of cruise ship jobs!
