Pastry Chef

WindRiver Lakefront & Golf Community•Lenoir City, TN

9d•Onsite

About The Position

WindRiver is a luxury lakefront and golf community offering a vibrant lifestyle that encompasses world-class amenities, including a championship golf course, full-service marina, Lakeside Inn, resort-style pool, and much more. At the heart of our community is WindRiver Club, a private members-only club soon to feature Clubhouse Village, home to our state-of-the-art kitchen, restaurant, bar, spa, fitness center, event spaces, and pro shop. The Pastry Chef owns the pastry, dessert, and scratch bread programs for the Clubhouse Village fine dining room, banquets, and club events. This role is responsible for creating desserts that are visually refined and deliver genuine depth of flavor and taste in equal measure, and for producing all breads, rolls, and viennoiserie from scratch daily. The Pastry Chef works closely with the Executive Chef to align the pastry program with the club’s culinary direction, manages ingredient sourcing and cost, upholds food safety and sanitation standards, and provides a warm, engaging presence that enhances the member experience.

Requirements

2-5 years in a dedicated pastry or bakeshop role in a fine dining restaurant, country club, resort, hotel, or high-volume artisan bakery.
Demonstrated scratch bread and viennoiserie experience required.
High School Diploma required; degree or certificate in Baking & Pastry Arts or Culinary Arts strongly preferred.
ServSafe Certification required, or willingness to obtain within 15 days of employment.
Must be at least 18 years old.
Candidates will be asked to complete a practical tasting that demonstrates both plated dessert presentation and a scratch bread of their choosing at final interview.
Advanced command of pastry fundamentals, laminated doughs, custards, mousses, sugar and chocolate work, with a developed palate and the judgment to correct flavor, texture, and seasoning.
Working knowledge of fermentation, hydration, and dough development, including leaven maintenance and preferments.
Strong plating and finishing skills with an eye for composition, color, and height that matches a fine dining presentation standard.
Ability to hold exacting standards batch after batch, follow and document precise recipes, and scale formulas accurately.
Excellent organizational and multitasking abilities, especially under pressure and across simultaneous bake and service timelines.
Deep understanding of food safety standards, allergen protocols, and regulatory compliance.
Outstanding communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively across departments.
Primary hours are daytime shifts with evening shifts for special celebrations or member events.
Must be able to bend, stoop, climb stairs, twist, kneel, lift, push, and pull items weighing 55lbs.
Must be able to stand and continuously move throughout the workday.
Requires repetitive hand and wrist motion for mixing, rolling, piping, and shaping.
Must be able to tolerate temperature extremes between ovens and walk-in coolers.

Nice To Haves

degree or certificate in Baking & Pastry Arts or Culinary Arts strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Design, execute, and consistently deliver plated desserts, petit fours, ice creams and sorbets, chocolates, and specialty confections for fine dining service, banquets, and member events.
Build desserts that balance visual composition with flavor depth, texture contrast, and correct temperature and seasoning. Taste every component and every batch before it reaches a member.
Develop, document, cost, and maintain written recipes and production specs so that any dessert can be reproduced to the same standard by any member of the team.
Execute laminated doughs, custards, mousses, sugar work, tempered chocolate, and plated décor to fine dining standards.
Ensure that all pastry and bread items meet or exceed member expectations through regular quality checks and address any issues promptly.
Produce all breads, dinner rolls, flatbreads, and viennoiserie from scratch daily, including the maintenance and feeding of leaven and preferments.
Build and manage daily and weekly bake schedules that align bread and pastry output with reservation counts, banquet covers, and event calendars, minimizing both shortages and waste.
Manage proofing, fermentation, baking, cooling, and holding to protect crumb, crust, and shelf life; establish and enforce hold times and freshness standards.
Coordinate with the Executive Chef and Sous Chef on bread service, amenity items, and any in-house baked goods used across the property.
Work with the Executive Chef to design, update, and refine seasonal dessert and bread offerings that complement the savory menu and reflect the club’s fine dining positioning.
Test new items with the Executive Chef prior to menu placement, confirming consistency, yield, cost, and hold characteristics.
Source high-quality ingredients while balancing cost efficiency and a premium dining experience; assist in menu pricing and portion control.
Accommodate gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and other dietary requests with the same standard of quality applied to the standard menu.
Monitor and control food cost within the pastry program.
Receive, label, date, rotate, and properly store all deliveries; conduct inventory counts and practice waste control to reduce shrink.
Plan and execute the pastry and bread components of member activities, golf tournaments, holiday functions, and private events.
Collaborate on bespoke dessert menus and celebration cakes and ensure flawless execution in coordination with the Executive Chef and event staff.
Maintain clean, sanitary, and organized work areas, utensils, equipment, and storage at all times, and enforce strict compliance with health and safety regulations.
Follow allergen-handling procedures and prevent cross-contamination, with particular attention to gluten, dairy, nuts, and eggs.
Store food at proper temperatures and durations; monitor and record cooler, freezer, and proofer temperatures daily. Use, store, and handle cleaning chemicals in compliance with MSDS regulations.
Comply with all local, state, and company food-handling regulations, including ServSafe and health department standards. Report injuries, safety concerns, and equipment malfunctions immediately.
Foster a culture of teamwork within the kitchen and across the F&B department; provide guidance and training to kitchen staff assisting with pastry or bread production.
Participate in regular strategy and planning meetings with the Executive Chef to align on goals and address challenges.
Take a hands-on, proactive role in the pastry program.
Continuously strive to innovate and improve the pastry and bread programs, bringing forward new ideas that enhance member satisfaction and operational efficiency.