Pastry Chef
Makes cakes, pastries, cookies, cupcakes, pies, confectionery, desserts, bread and other baked goods, learning ingredients and a range of cooking methods.
Overview
Pastry Chef, also known as Patisserie, Dessert Maker/Chef, creates different types of products like cakes, pastries, cookies, cupcakes, pies, confectionaries, desserts, bread and other baked goods. You learn to understand different ingredients and their quantity for preparing the desired product, presenting pastry attractively, learning various cooking methods like baking, frying, microwaving, steaming, sifting, creaming, kneading, resting, aerating, conditioning/chilling, laminating, rolling, folding and trimming. You also learn the art of combining cooking methods, making a range of chocolates and bon bons, frozen desserts, ice creams and sorbets.
Where they work
- Hotels
- Bakery shops
- Patisserie
- Restaurants
Work environment
You can expect to work for 10/12 hours per day and for 6 days a week. You will often have to work beyond working hours.
Opportunities for work exist for differently abled in this field.
Skills and interests
This career might suit you if…
- You can pay close attention to details
- You are interested in food and related work
- You are comfortable working in a team
Eligibility and education roadmap
Please check the duration of the course during enrolment. NSQF course levels, entry requirements and availability change — verify with the training provider.
- 1Minimum qualification: after completing class 12 or ITI, and being 18 years of age, you can enrol for a National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) Level 4 Pastry/Bakery Commis course. Persons with disabilities can opt for this course.
Forms, exams and applications
Exam names above are as printed in the source card. Application windows, eligibility and syllabi change — always check the official notification for current dates.
Where to apply
This course is offered by the Hotel Management Institutes. This list of institutes is indicative only. Please check if a private institute is affiliated and accredited with UGC before applying.
Government institutes
- Institute of Hotel Management, Goa
- Institute of Hotel Management, New Delhi
- Institute of Hotel Management, Mumbai, Maharashtra
- Institute of Hotel Management, Kolkata, West Bengal
- Institute of Hotel Management, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
- Institute of Hotel Management, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
- Institute of Hotel Management, Hyderabad, Telangana
- Institute of Hotel Management, Bengaluru, Karnataka
- Institute of Hotel Management, Aurangabad, Maharashtra
Private institutes
Please check if the institute is affiliated and accredited before applying.
- Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration, Manipal, Karnataka
- Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka
- Guru Nanak Institute of Hotel Management, Kolkata, West Bengal
- Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, Pune, Maharashtra
- Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development, New Delhi
Distance learning
Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)
These institute lists are indicative examples from the source card, not a ranked or complete directory. Always verify accreditation on the institute's official website.
Career outcomes
Growth path
- 1Trainee Pastry Chef
- 2Assistant Pastry Chef
- 3Lead Pastry Chef
Related careers to explore
Cake Artist
Baker who specialises in making and decorating cakes, using icing, flowers, sugar sculptures and pictures.
Chocolatier
Makes and sells chocolate confectionery, trained in the chemistry of chocolate and in turning cacao beans into chocolate.
Student action plan
What you can do this month
- Read this whole roadmap and note any subjects, exams or institutes you don't recognise yet.
- Talk to a teacher or school counsellor about how your current subjects connect to Any Stream.
- Look for a school club, competition or online course related to creating.
- Shortlist 2–3 institutes from the list above and check their official website for current admission details.
- Save this career and compare it with 1–2 others you're considering.
Example from the field
Tanvi Mahajan — 'I loved baking as a child,' says Chef Tanvi Mahajan, who runs two companies — Viya Cupcakery and Toasted Oat Company. The 28-year-old began her tryst with baking with her maternal grandmother over semolina cakes and vanilla sponges, who baked 'with her wooden spoons and gas oven.' She took a loan from her father to buy an oven and baking supplies; today she runs two companies. She began practising by sending cookies to her younger sister at school and taking part in bake sales at her own school, and attended baking classes in her free time, spending any extra cash on them. It was initially tough to convince her father of the profession since he wanted her to follow the traditional path, but he finally gave in to her dream of becoming an entrepreneur and gave her a small investment, with which she bought an oven and some baking and decorating supplies. It took a lot of marketing and word of mouth to get the word out, she says; the hard work is now paying off, with orders as large as 600 cupcakes that take her almost a week to complete, and a coming order for 1,700 bottles of a new product, Artisan Granola.
SourceThis profile is shared for training/educational purposes only, as printed in the source card.
Sources and update notice
- Career card source: Exploring Career Paths with Career Cards, Volume 2, printed page 975 (NCERT / UNICEF India / PSSCIVE Bhopal, First Edition, April 2025).
- Income source: https://www.glassdoor.co.in/Salaries/pastry-chef-salary-SRCH_KO0,11.htm
- Last reviewed on this site: 2026-08-21
Institute names carry the same spelling errors as the other hotel-management cards ('Welcome Graduate School of Hotel Administration', 'Oberoi Center of Learning and Devlopment'), corrected here.
Eligibility, fees, exam patterns and admissions change often. Always verify current details on official institute, exam-body or government websites before making decisions.