Pantry Cook Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a pantry cook. Feel free to use our job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a pantry cook.
Who is a Pantry Cook?
A pantry chef often referred to as a garden manager, is a food service worker that specializes in cold items such as salads, cheese boards, and chilled soups. However, they usually work in restaurants or catering establishments, where they may be called upon to prepare hot meals on occasion, necessitating a diverse set of cooking skills. They must also follow stringent safety and sanitary rules.
A garde manager is another term for a pantry cook. Pantry cooks are primarily in charge of cold food, though they may also prepare hot items on occasion. When you take on this responsibility, you may be expected to prepare salads, cheese, or charcuterie (gourmet prepared meats). You can be in charge of caviar, chaud froid (a gelatinous cold dish made from meat stock), fruit provision, or culinary sculptures as well. Simmering, seasoning cold food, searing, curing, and frying are all skills you’ll need. Carving, chopping, tossing, crimping, and marinating are all important talents in this line of work. Furthermore, plating is a crucial part of this work because the presentation is so vital.
As a pantry chef, you may be in charge of sophisticated recipes that require you to consider a variety of elements. When producing terrines or pâtés, for example, you may need to strike a balance between the added fats and proteins and the natural fats and proteins existing in the materials, taking into mind the type of meat used, preparation methods, storage procedures, and serving temperature. Similarly, while making salads, examine the textures and flavours of various oils, and how different kinds of vinegar combine different lettuce varieties to see how the colour of the vegetables affects the presentation.
Pantry Cook Job Description
Below are the pantry cook job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a pantry cook job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
As a Pantry Cook, you’ll be responsible for ensuring that baked goods are up to standard. You must be able to follow appropriate food safety standards, adhere to all state health regulations and maintain a stock of on-hand recipes and ingredients. This position necessitates a thorough understanding of pastry techniques and industry trends. You’ll also help the Steward with the dishwashing and cleaning of the galley. The general duties of a pantry cook include;
- Working with the Executive Chef/Pastry Chef to organize activities daily.
- Assisting in planning and suggesting new menu items.
- Ensuring cooking, designing, and decorating confectionery goods.
- Constantly updating the customer menu based on consumer input.
- Keeping a supply of baking supplies on hand.
- Organizing special requests, events, and function orders with team members
- Planning of the menu for the season.
- Keeping track of the daily manufacturing schedule
- Assisting with quality assurance
- Ensuring the functionality of all baking equipment in use.
- Inspiring as well as monitoring the activities of other team members in the kitchen.
- Assisting with the management of work schedules.
- Upholding sanitation and hygiene to a high level.
- Creating a detailed schedule for the day’s activities.
- Cleaning the countertops and work surfaces in the galley, as well as the sinks and dishwasher.
- Properly complying with the CDC Vessel Sanitation Program’s requirements.
- Keeping the storeroom, galley cupboards, refrigerators, and freezers clean and organized.
- Assisting the Steward in scraping/soaking all dishes, pots, and pans, cooking utensils, and eating utensils in line with applicable requirements.
- Assisting the attendants in loading, running, and removing things from the dishwashing machine, as well as arranging them in proper storage locations.
- Aiding in the proper storage, packing, handling, and display of food.
- Rotating current stock discards spoiled things and replenishes as needed with food and other resources.
- Participating in on-board safety training, meetings, and drills, such as fire, abandon ship, man overboard, floods, and medical emergencies as instructed by the Captain.
- Participating in shoreside training as required by the company.
- Keeping up to date on all duties related to the company’s Safety Management System and Emergency Station Billet.
Qualifications
With a diploma in culinary technology and a concentration in garde manger, you can work as a pastry chef. There are numerous culinary arts associates and bachelor’s degree programs available; however, including garde manager training may improve your job prospects by training you in additional areas. The following qualifications below are needed for you to be employed as a pantry cook:
- A degree certificate or diploma in culinary arts, baking, or a related industry.
- 2+ years of pastry cooking or baking experience.
- A certificate in pastry or culinary arts is most preferable.
- Good knowledge and understanding of trends and practices in the food business.
- Willingness to work a range of shifts, including holidays and weekends.
- A thorough understanding of health and sanitation regulations is required.
- Superior time management abilities.
- Good understanding of modern culinary techniques and baking techniques.
- Skilled at leading and managing a group of people.
- Good communication and organizing skills are essential.
- Must be disciplined and highly motivated
- Ability to maintain good physical and mental stamina.
- Must be detail-oriented.
- Ability to judge and offer satisfaction to customers.
- Readiness to work in a fast-paced environment.
- Baking enthusiast with high creativity.
Essential Skills
For one to be successful as a pantry cook certain skills are necessarily needed to be part of you. Some of these skills include but are not limited to the following:
- Monitoring:
Monitoring and evaluating your own performance, other people’s, or organizations’ performance to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Cooking:
The major skill every pantry cook must have is a cooking skill. You must be able to make dishes that taste good in order for you to excel in this field. Cooking is the art, science, and discipline of preparing food for consumption using heat. Cooking methods and ingredients vary widely, reflecting local conditions, from grilling food over an open fire to utilizing electric burners to baking in various sorts of ovens.
- Speaking:
For effective communication, speaking is a skill one has to possess. They enable us to communicate information vocally in a way that the listener can comprehend. A pantry cook must be able to speak fluently to communicate effectively and efficiently with the head chef and another member of the management.
- Active Learning:
In any industry, staying current and relevant requires constant learning of new things. Every pantry cook should be able to recognize the value of fresh knowledge for problem-solving and decision-making in the present and future.
- Active Listening:
Paying attentive attention to what others are saying, taking the time to understand what they’re saying, asking questions when necessary, and not interrupting at inopportune moments are all examples of active listening. Active listening is a talent that assists the pantry cook in comprehending both the head chef’s and clients’ orders. Active listening helps in understanding criticisms and leveraging them for improvement.
- Coordination:
Coordination skills are a set of abilities and competencies that enable you to plan and execute multiple tasks, actions, and plans at the same time. They test your ability to pay attention to detail while contemplating how tiny aspects fit into a broader undertaking.
- Time Management:
The practice of managing and planning how to split your time between various activities is known as time management. When you get it right, you’ll find yourself working smarter rather than harder to get more done in less time, even when time is short and pressures are high. The top achievers are masters of time management. Shifting your attention from activities to results is a building block for effective time management. Just because you’re busy doesn’t mean you’re productive. Many people discover that the busier they are, the less they get done.
- Service Orientation :
Service orientation relates to the capability and inclination to foresee, identify, and satisfy the requirements of others, frequently before those needs are spoken. People who are concerned with offering satisfaction and making themselves available to others are service-oriented. This was characterized as looking for methods to aid others regularly.
- Judgment and Decision Making:
Identifying a decision, acquiring information, and evaluating possible remedies are all steps in the decision-making process. By collecting important information and identifying options, a step-by-step decision-making process can assist you in making more careful, considered decisions. As a pantry cook, you have to be judging and making decisions regularly in the course of delivering your work.
- Social Perceptiveness:
The ability to recognize, comprehend, and respond to signs offered by others in social contexts is known as social perceptiveness. You must first become aware of your signs through self-awareness and mindfulness techniques to respond effectively. This skill will enable you to easily understand when people are criticizing your work.
- Quality Control Analysis:
A business’s quality control (QC) procedure strives to ensure that product quality is maintained or enhanced. Quality assurance necessitates the establishment of a culture where both management and employees share a common goal of reaching perfection. The pantry cook should ensure consistency in the taste of the meals prepared. Hence, the pantry cook should have a skill in quality control.
- Management of Material Resources
Obtaining and monitoring the proper use of machines, facilities, and resources necessary to fulfill certain tasks. To avoid bottlenecks and unnecessary delays, focus on these limited resources and plan around their availability.
How to Become a Pantry Cook
If you want to work as a Pantry Chef, one of the first things you should think about is how much education you’ll need. A bachelor’s degree is held by 21.1 percent of Pantry Chefs, according to our research. In terms of higher education, we discovered that only 0.9 percent of Pantry Chefs hold a master’s degree in culinary arts, baking, and other related industries. Although some Pantry Chefs have college degrees, anyone with a high school diploma or GED can work in the kitchen.
Choosing the right major is critical while learning how to become a Pantry Chef. When we looked into the most prevalent majors for Pantry Chefs we discovered that they are more likely to get an Associate Degree or a High School Diploma. Bachelor’s Degrees and Diplomas are two other degrees that we frequently see on Pantry Chef resumes.
You might find that previous work experience will assist you to become a pastry chef. Many Pantry Chef positions require previous experience as a Line Cook. Meanwhile, many Pantry Chefs have worked as a cashier or a cook in the past.
It is also important to point out that professional certification in culinary arts is of added advantage in becoming a pantry cook.
However, you should never underestimate the knowledge of senior pantry cooks. To become a good pantry cook, it is pertinent you work with other pantry cooks, especially more exposed and experienced cooks. This gives you additional knowledge and could serve as a mentorship in your journey.
You also have to be enthusiastic about new trends and menus related to your industry. Therefore, you have to be updated regularly about the trends in dishes. Also, be ready to keep trying new things always. You shouldn’t be lazy with trying new menus, and preparing international and local cuisines because the more you try them out, the better you get at them and it improves your skill as a pantry cook.
To become a pantry cook, a good action to be taken may include applying for an entry-level position, such as a line cook in a restaurant kitchen, to get started on this route.
Where to Work as a Pantry Cook
Cooks, particularly pantry cooks, are predicted to grow by 26% between 2020 and 2030, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which is substantially faster than the national average for all occupations. However, the BLS stated that job prospects in this area are projected to be excellent due to frequent turnover, however upmarket restaurants may face increasing competition. A list of where to work as a pantry cook includes the below.
- Restaurants
- Hospitals
- Airports
- Universities and colleges
- Hospitality homes
- Food manufacturing companies
- Beverage companies
Pantry Cook Salary Scale
According to PayScale.com’s October 2021 statistics, the 10th to 90th percentile yearly compensation range (with bonuses) for pantry chefs was $33,000 to $164,000. The average wage was $58,462.
