Executive Pastry Chef

Role Overview

The Executive Pastry Chef owns every part of the pastry and bakery operation across The Social House and The Living Room, from the first lamination of the day to the final plated dessert leaving the pass. This is a craft-first leadership role: you will define a French-inspired pâtisserie identity distinctive enough that guests associate specific pastries with us, and you will build the production discipline, documentation and team capability that keep that quality identical on every shift. The position sits at the intersection of artistry and commercial sense, shaping a pastry programme that delights guests while remaining efficient, cost-aware and repeatable.

Key Responsibilities

• Direct all pastry and bakery production for The Social House and The Living Room, setting and enforcing the benchmarks for taste, texture, finish and consistency across every item sold.
• Design and launch a French-inspired pâtisserie range with signature creations that become recognisable calling cards for the venue, balancing classical technique against contemporary flavours, modern presentation and locally relevant ideas.
• Build a broad repertoire spanning croissants and laminated doughs, viennoiserie, brioche, choux and éclairs, mille-feuille, macarons, tarts and tartlets, entremets, petits gâteaux, mousses, crémeux, ganaches, glazes, chocolate and praline work, celebration cakes, artisan breads and plated desserts.
• Refresh the offer continuously through seasonal collections, festive ranges, celebration cakes, afternoon experiences and limited-edition concepts, tracking pastry trends, ingredients and techniques from leading pâtisseries locally and internationally.
• Document and maintain standard recipes, production specifications, yields, portion sizes, reference photographs and presentation standards, then engineer production systems so results hold regardless of who is on shift.
• Plan production volumes and par levels, monitor ingredient usage, wastage and portion control, and protect food cost discipline; partner with Procurement on ingredient quality, supplier performance and product specifications.
• Lead, coach and develop Pastry Chefs, Commis Chefs and Bakers, deliberately transferring technical knowledge across the team so expertise is not concentrated in a single person.
• Collaborate with the Executive Chef and wider culinary team on menus, promotions and special events, and with commercial and marketing colleagues on pastry propositions that generate guest excitement, footfall and revenue.
• Uphold food safety, hygiene and health and safety compliance throughout the pastry kitchen, maintain exceptional cleanliness and organisation, and monitor equipment condition so maintenance or safety issues are addressed promptly.

Requirements & Qualifications

• A recognised qualification in Pastry & Bakery, Culinary Arts, Hotel Management or a related discipline.
• Substantial senior pastry leadership experience as an Executive Pastry Chef, Head Pastry Chef, Pastry Sous Chef or equivalent within a luxury hotel, premium pâtisserie, high-end restaurant or comparable hospitality operation.
• Demonstrated practical mastery of classical and contemporary French pastry, with strong work across croissants and laminated doughs, pain au chocolat and viennoiserie, brioche, choux and éclairs, mille-feuille, macarons, tarts and tartlets, entremets and petits gâteaux, mousses, crémeux, ganaches and glazes, chocolate and praline, celebration and speciality cakes, artisan breads and contemporary plated desserts. We care as much about what you can create as where you have worked.
• A proven record of developing and launching new pastry products rather than reproducing an established menu, including recipe development and the establishment of production and presentation standards.
• Solid grounding in recipe costing, food cost control, portion control, inventory management and waste reduction.
• Experience leading a pastry brigade and developing junior chefs, with strong production planning and organisational capability.
• Thorough knowledge of food hygiene, safety and quality standards, paired with an exceptional eye for presentation and detail.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, commercial awareness, and the composure to stay calm, organised and consistent in a demanding hospitality environment.
• Inquisitive — curious about the craft, studying what leading pastry chefs and pâtisseries are doing, asking why a product works and how it could be improved, and experimenting intelligently rather than assuming past success guarantees future relevance.
• Resourceful — able to work intelligently with the ingredients, people and equipment available, finding solutions rather than excuses when something goes wrong.
• Efficient — understands that beautiful pastry must also make commercial sense, and runs an organised kitchen because creativity performs better when supported by discipline.
• Determined — holds high standards with the stamina to sustain them, recognising that a reputation for exceptional pastry comes from repetition, refinement, training and relentless attention to detail.
• Expressive — brings personality to both the pastry and the leadership, communicating clearly, teaching confidently, receiving feedback well, and explaining the story and thinking behind each creation while keeping discipline, professionalism and respect intact.