Assistant Pastry Chef | Three Leaf Catering

University of Notre Dame•Notre Dame, IN

About The Position

The Assistant Pastry Chef is a hands-on culinary leader in Three Leaf Catering, the University of Notre Dame’s catering operation. Reporting to the Executive Pastry Chef, this position oversees daily pastry production, coordinates team activities, maintains quality standards, and supports effective department operations. The role combines advanced pastry skills with staff supervision, production planning, inventory management, cost control, and employee development. The Assistant Pastry Chef leads pastry production and quality, coordinates work according to catering orders and event schedules, assists with seasonal menus and recipe standardization, and participates directly in pastry preparation and service. The role also directs, trains, coaches, and develops team members; supports staffing and labor scheduling; and manages ordering, inventory, production records, and cost-control practices. The position ensures compliance with food-safety, sanitation, allergen-management, and workplace standards, and collaborates with the Pastry Sous Chef and other university dining teams to deliver consistent, high-quality pastry and dessert offerings for campus events.

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 and establish clear performance 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.
Demonstrated knowledge of food safety, sanitation, allergen management, and applicable health regulations.
Strong organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills, and the ability to collaborate across culinary and service teams.
Sound judgment and problem-solving ability, including adapting to changing operational demands and making decisions within established guidelines.
Ability to stand for extended periods, lift up to 50 pounds, and 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.
Applicants are encouraged to submit a culinary portfolio featuring photos of baked creations, pastry presentations, dessert tables, cakes, and other relevant work.

Responsibilities

Oversee daily pastry and baking production to ensure quality, consistency, presentation, and timely completion.
Coordinate production priorities and team work assignments based on catering orders, event schedules, anticipated demand, and changing business needs.
Assist with seasonal menu development, recipe testing, standardizing production methods, and preparing recipe cards and plating guides.
Ensure recipes, portion sizes, yields, and presentation standards are followed consistently.
Prepare, bake, finish, and plate pastry and dessert items as a hands-on leader.
Oversee buffet setups, banquet production, and special-event plate-ups, occasionally interacting with guests.
Identify improvements to 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, mentor, and provide constructive feedback to employees; support performance evaluations, onboarding, cross-training, and professional development.
Address performance concerns and communicate employee issues to the Pastry Sous Chef or appropriate leadership as needed.
Foster a positive, inclusive, accountable, and collaborative team environment and maintain grooming, uniform, attendance, and conduct standards.
Collaborate with culinary, catering, and other university dining teams.
Coordinate production plans and assist with staffing and labor scheduling according to 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 ingredient rotation using FIFO procedures; maintain inventory counts and monitor product usage.
Assist with recipe costing, portion control, production forecasting, and standardized recipes and documentation.
Maintain production schedules, labor logs, inventory records, and other operational documentation.
Improve workflow and resource efficiency and reduce unnecessary labor, food, and supply costs.
Communicate supply shortages, production challenges, equipment issues, and operational concerns promptly 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 safety hazards.
Support 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.