pastry chef

Job Description

Position Overview

We are looking for a creative, skilled, and passionate Pastry Chef to lead the production of baked goods, desserts, pastries, and specialty items across our food service operation at the University of Prince Edward Island.

This position will be based out of Wanda Wyatt Dining Hall, but the role extends well beyond daily dining hall production. The Pastry Chef will be responsible for developing and producing high-quality baked goods for Wanda Wyatt Dining Hall, our retail cafés and outlets, catering operations, special events, seasonal programming, and other food service locations across the UPEI campus.

The ideal candidate will bring strong technical pastry skills, creativity, consistency, organization, and a passion for creating products that are both visually appealing and commercially successful.

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Qualifications

Key Responsibilities

Bakery & Pastry Production

• Lead the daily production of breads, pastries, desserts, cookies, squares, cakes, muffins, bars, pies, tarts, and other baked goods.

• Produce a consistent selection of high-quality baked goods for Wanda Wyatt Dining Hall and campus retail outlets.

• Develop and execute specialty desserts and pastry items for catering, receptions, banquets, conferences, and campus events.

• Maintain high standards for flavour, presentation, texture, consistency, freshness, and portion control.

• Ensure all products are prepared according to established recipes, production standards, and food safety requirements.

• Plan daily and weekly pastry production based on projected volume, menus, catering requirements, retail demand, and special events.

• Coordinate production schedules to ensure products are completed, properly stored, and available when required.

Catering & Special Events

• Work closely with the culinary and catering teams to develop pastry and dessert offerings for catered functions.

• Create custom desserts, dessert tables, pastries, cakes, and specialty baked goods for events and client requests.

• Support large-scale events and high-volume catering requirements while maintaining quality and presentation standards.

• Develop seasonal and themed dessert offerings for campus events and student engagement initiatives.

Retail & Product Development

• Supply baked goods and desserts to our campus retail locations and cafés.

• Collaborate with culinary leadership and operations teams to identify opportunities for new and innovative retail products.

• Develop products that are appealing to students, staff, faculty, guests, and catering clients.

• Create seasonal products and limited-time offerings to support marketing, promotions, holidays, and campus programming.

• Assist with establishing recipes, yields, portion sizes, presentation standards, and production costs for new products.

• Monitor product quality and customer feedback and adjust recipes or offerings where appropriate.

Menu Planning & Innovation

• Work with the Executive Chef and culinary leadership to contribute pastry and dessert ideas to menus across the operation.

• Stay current with pastry, baking, dessert, and food service trends.

• Introduce new techniques, flavours, formats, and presentation styles while maintaining practical production standards.

• Balance creativity with cost control, production efficiency, ingredient availability, and customer demand.

• Support scratch-made and locally inspired food initiatives wherever possible.

Food Safety & Quality Control

• Follow all food safety, sanitation, allergen, and workplace health and safety standards.

• Ensure proper labelling, dating, storage, cooling, and handling of all pastry and bakery products.

• Maintain a clean, organized, and safe pastry production area.

• Follow established HACCP and food safety procedures.

• Ensure proper allergen awareness and cross-contact prevention throughout production.

Inventory & Cost Control

• Monitor pastry and baking ingredient inventory and communicate ordering needs to culinary leadership.

• Minimize waste through accurate production planning, proper storage, and creative utilization of ingredients.

• Maintain awareness of food costs and portion control.

• Assist with recipe costing and production planning for new and existing products.

• Ensure proper rotation and storage of ingredients using FIFO principles.

Team Collaboration

• Work collaboratively with the Executive Chef, culinary team, catering team, retail teams, and food service leadership.

• Provide guidance and training to culinary team members who assist with pastry and bakery production.

• Maintain positive working relationships across all areas of the operation.

• Communicate production needs, shortages, upcoming events, and operational challenges effectively.

• Support the broader culinary team during periods of high volume when required.

Qualifications & Experience

• Professional culinary or pastry training is preferred.

• Previous experience as a Pastry Chef, Baker, Pastry Cook, or in a similar professional bakery/pastry environment.

• Strong knowledge of baking techniques, pastry production, desserts, breads, and chocolate-based products.

• Experience with high-volume food production is considered an asset.

• Experience supporting catering, banquets, special events, or retail food operations is considered an asset.

• Strong organizational and time-management skills.

• Ability to work independently while also contributing effectively to a larger culinary team.

• Strong attention to detail and commitment to consistency.

• Ability to work efficiently in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple production priorities.

• Strong understanding of food safety, sanitation, allergen management, and proper food handling procedures.

What We Are Looking For

The ideal candidate is someone who sees pastry as more than simply producing desserts. They are excited by the opportunity to build a bakery and pastry program that serves an entire university food service operation.

We are looking for someone who is:

• Creative and passionate about baking and pastry

• Organized and highly detail-oriented

• Comfortable with both high-volume production and specialty work

• Interested in developing new products and seasonal offerings

• Proud of presentation and quality

• Cost-conscious and production-minded

• Comfortable working across dining, retail, and catering environments

• A strong team player and communicator

• Excited to bring new ideas and energy to the UPEI culinary program

Scope of the Position

This position will have the opportunity to make a significant impact across the UPEI food service program. While Wanda Wyatt Dining Hall will serve as the primary production kitchen, the Pastry Chef will support the broader operation by supplying products and expertise to:

Wanda Wyatt Dining Hall
Daily desserts, pastries, baked goods, special features, and seasonal offerings.

Campus Retail Outlets
Muffins, cookies, squares, pastries, cakes, desserts, and other grab-and-go bakery products.

Catering & Events
Dessert platters, specialty pastries, cakes, dessert tables, receptions, banquets, conferences, and special events.

Campus Programming & Engagement
Seasonal products, themed desserts, student events, promotional activations, and special culinary initiatives.

The goal is to establish a consistent, recognizable, and high-quality pastry program across UPEI, with the flexibility to serve everyday production needs while also creating elevated products for retail and catering.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand for extended periods.

• Ability to lift and carry ingredients, equipment, and product as required.

• Ability to work in a commercial kitchen environment with exposure to heat, cold, noise, and food production equipment.

• Ability to safely operate commercial bakery and kitchen equipment.

Additional Information

Why Join Us?

This is an opportunity to help shape and grow the pastry program within one of UPEI's largest food service operations. The Pastry Chef will have the creative freedom to contribute ideas, develop new products, support multiple areas of the business, and help establish a stronger identity for scratch-made baking and pastry across campus.

This isn't simply a dining hall pastry position. It's an opportunity to build and lead a campus-wide pastry and bakery program.

Dexterra Group is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We are pleased to consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veterans’ status, Indigenous status, or any other legally protected factors. Special needs accommodation is available at all stages of the application process upon request.