Assistant Pastry Chef | Three Leaf Catering

University of Notre Dame•Notre Dame, IN

About The Position

Three Leaf Catering at the University of Notre Dame is seeking an accomplished, collaborative, and results-driven Assistant Pastry Chef. Reporting to the Executive Pastry Chef, this hands-on culinary leader oversees daily pastry production, coordinates team activities, maintains quality standards, and supports effective operation of the pastry department. The position combines advanced pastry skills with staff supervision, production planning, inventory management, cost control, and employee development. The Assistant Pastry Chef leads by example, balancing hands-on pastry preparation with organizing, motivating, and developing a team. The role supports consistent, high-quality pastry and dessert offerings for campus gatherings, university banquets, catering orders, and special events. The position also contributes to operational excellence, teamwork, community, and sustainability.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent, combined with advanced knowledge of pastry techniques, baking science, dessert production, and presentation.
Three to five years of progressive supervisory or management experience in a professional pastry, baking, or culinary operation, including responsibility for directing staff, coordinating production, and maintaining operational standards.
Demonstrated ability to lead, train, coach, and develop employees while establishing clear expectations and accountability.
Experience organizing daily production, assigning work, managing competing priorities, and meeting deadlines in a high-volume or event-driven food service environment.
Working knowledge of inventory management, ordering systems, food cost control, production planning, and labor utilization.
Knowledge of food safety, sanitation, allergen management, and applicable health regulations.
Strong organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills, including ability to collaborate across culinary and service teams.
Sound judgment and ability to solve problems, adapt to changing operational demands, and make appropriate decisions within established guidelines.
Ability to stand for extended periods and lift up to 50 pounds, and to perform essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodation.
Flexibility to work early mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays as required by production and event schedules.

Nice To Haves

Associate or bachelor's degree in Culinary Arts, Pastry Arts, Baking and Pastry Arts, or a related field.
Experience in institutional catering, hospitality, hotel pastry operations, banquet production, or another high-volume culinary environment.
Experience with labor scheduling, production forecasting, recipe costing, yield management, and food waste reduction.
Experience maintaining recipe databases, standardized production documentation, and inventory or food service management systems.
Food safety certification, such as ServSafe, in accordance with departmental requirements.
Demonstrated success improving production processes, developing team members, and maintaining high standards of quality, consistency, and service.
Culinary portfolio featuring photos of baked creations, pastry presentations, dessert tables, cakes, or other relevant work.

Responsibilities

Oversee daily pastry and baking production to ensure quality, consistency, presentation, and timely completion.
Coordinate production priorities and work assignments based on catering orders, event schedules, anticipated demand, and changing business needs.
Assist in developing seasonal menus, testing recipes, standardizing production methods, and creating recipe cards and plating guides.
Ensure recipes, portion sizes, yields, and presentation standards are followed.
Prepare, bake, finish, and plate pastry and dessert items; oversee buffet setups, banquet production, and special-event plate-ups.
Identify opportunities to improve recipes, production techniques, workflow, and product quality.
Direct and coordinate pastry team members’ daily activities; delegate tasks, monitor progress, and adjust assignments to meet deadlines and service expectations.
Train, coach, and mentor employees in pastry techniques, production standards, food safety, and departmental procedures.
Provide constructive feedback, support performance evaluations, address performance concerns, and communicate employee issues to the Pastry Sous Chef or appropriate leadership.
Support onboarding, cross-training, and professional development; foster a positive, inclusive, accountable, and collaborative work environment.
Maintain grooming, uniform, attendance, and workplace conduct standards; collaborate with culinary, catering, and university dining teams.
Coordinate daily production plans and assist with staffing and labor scheduling based on anticipated business volume and event requirements.
Monitor labor utilization, production efficiency, product yields, and waste to support productivity and cost-control goals.
Lead ordering, receiving, stocking, storage, and rotation of ingredients and supplies using FIFO procedures.
Maintain inventory counts and monitor product usage to support purchasing and minimize waste.
Assist with recipe costing, portion control, production forecasting, standardized recipes, and production documentation.
Maintain production schedules, labor logs, inventory records, and other operational documentation.
Improve workflow, resource efficiency, and management of labor, food, and supply costs.
Promptly communicate supply shortages, production challenges, equipment issues, and operational concerns to the Pastry Sous Chef.
Ensure compliance with university policies, food safety requirements, sanitation standards, allergen-management procedures, and applicable health regulations.
Maintain clean, organized, and sanitary workstations, storage areas, equipment, coolers, freezers, and dry storage.
Reinforce safe food handling, proper storage and labeling, temperature control, and cleaning procedures.
Monitor equipment condition and report maintenance needs, malfunctions, and potential safety hazards.
Support routine inspections and take corrective action when food safety, sanitation, or workplace standards are not met.
Promote safety, quality, and continuous improvement throughout the pastry operation.