cooktohead pastry chef
A cook already meets 31% of what the head pastry chef role asks for. The move turns on 22 required skills not yet in the profile.
31%
74.4/ 100
1 Share of the head pastry chef role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the cook profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.
Why this move works
A head pastry chef role treats 9 of its required skills as things a cook already does. These are the ones it depends on most.
- comply with food safety and hygiene
- handover the food preparation area
- maintain a safe, hygienic and secure working environment
- maintain kitchen equipment at correct temperature
- order supplies
- plan menus
What stands in the way is 22 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 16 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A head pastry chef role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a cook background worth leading with.
- already held prepare desserts assisting and caring
- already held use culinary finishing techniques assisting and caring
- already held maintain kitchen equipment at correct temperature handling and moving
- already held prepare bakery products handling and moving
- already held handover the food preparation area handling and moving
- already held use reheating techniques assisting and caring
All 16 carried skills, including the 9 the head pastry chef role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you would need to learn
The 31 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.
- required, not held maintain personal hygiene standards required
- required, not held manage budgets required
- required, not held manage medium term objectives required
- required, not held manage revenue required
- required, not held manage staff required
- required, not held manage stock rotation required
- required, not held plan medium to long term objectives required
- required, not held plan shifts of employees required
- required, not held recruit employees required
- optional, not held develop food waste reduction strategies optional
- required, not held create innovative desserts required
- required, not held decorate pastry for special events required
- required, not held handle customer complaints required
- required, not held perform procurement processes required
- optional, not held advise guests on menus for special events optional
- optional, not held compile cooking recipes optional
- optional, not held train staff to reduce food waste optional
- required, not held bake pastry for special events required
- required, not held monitor the use of kitchen equipment required
- required, not held supervise food quality required
- optional, not held assist customers optional
- optional, not held prepare canapés optional
- optional, not held handle surveillance equipment optional
- required, not held keep up with eating out trends required
- required, not held set prices of menu items required
- required, not held estimate costs of required supplies required
- optional, not held conduct research on food waste prevention optional
- optional, not held design indicators for food waste reduction optional
- required, not held food storage required
- required, not held ensure maintenance of kitchen equipment required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a head pastry chef role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 create innovative desserts skill · occupation specific
- 02 bake pastry for special events skill · sector specific
- 03 decorate pastry for special events skill · sector specific
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 16 skills that carry over
- already held comply with food safety and hygiene skill
- already held handover the food preparation area skill
- already held maintain a safe, hygienic and secure working environment skill
- already held maintain kitchen equipment at correct temperature skill
- already held order supplies skill
- already held plan menus skill
- already held use cooking techniques skill
- already held use culinary finishing techniques skill
- already held use reheating techniques skill
- already held check deliveries on receipt skill
- already held create decorative food displays skill
- already held prepare bakery products skill
- already held prepare desserts skill
- already held store raw food materials skill
- already held train employees skill
- already held use food cutting tools skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- required, not held types of whisks required
9 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held advise guests on menus for special events optional
- optional, not held assist customers optional
- optional, not held compile cooking recipes optional
- optional, not held prepare canapés optional
- optional, not held train staff to reduce food waste optional
- optional, not held conduct research on food waste prevention optional
- optional, not held design indicators for food waste reduction optional
- optional, not held develop food waste reduction strategies optional
- optional, not held handle surveillance equipment optional
34 held skills the head pastry chef role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise customers on seafood choices skill
- not needed by the target role advise on preparation of diet food skill
- not needed by the target role comply with standard portion sizes skill
- not needed by the target role composition of diets knowledge
- not needed by the target role control of expenses skill
- not needed by the target role cook dairy products skill
- not needed by the target role cook meat dishes skill
- not needed by the target role cook sauce products skill
- not needed by the target role cook seafood skill
- not needed by the target role cook vegetable products skill
- not needed by the target role create a diet plan skill
- not needed by the target role ensure cleanliness of food preparation area skill
- not needed by the target role execute chilling processes to food products skill
- not needed by the target role fish anatomy knowledge
- not needed by the target role handle chemical cleaning agents skill
- not needed by the target role identify nutritional properties of food skill
- not needed by the target role manage waste skill
- not needed by the target role nutrition knowledge
- not needed by the target role prepare dairy products for use in a dish skill
- not needed by the target role prepare egg products for use in a dish skill
- not needed by the target role prepare flambeed dishes skill
- not needed by the target role prepare meat products for use in a dish skill
- not needed by the target role prepare ready-made dishes skill
- not needed by the target role prepare salad dressings skill
- not needed by the target role prepare sandwiches skill
- not needed by the target role prepare saucier products for use in a dish skill
- not needed by the target role prepare vegetable products for use in a dish skill
- not needed by the target role prepared meals knowledge
- not needed by the target role receive kitchen supplies skill
- not needed by the target role seafood processing knowledge
- not needed by the target role slice fish skill
- not needed by the target role store kitchen supplies skill
- not needed by the target role use food preparation techniques skill
- not needed by the target role work in a hospitality team skill
2 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- required, not held food storage required
- required, not held types of whisks required
Other moves recorded from cook
- pizzaiolo 79% covered · adjacent
- kitchen assistant 65% covered · moderate
- chef 59% covered · moderate
- pastry chef 55% covered · moderate
- private chef 54% covered · substantial
- kitchen porter 49% covered · moderate
- quick service restaurant crew member 38% covered · substantial
- head chef 30% covered · career change
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.