Galley
Pastry Chef
The pastry chef runs the pastry section of a large yacht galley, producing breads, viennoiserie, desserts, cakes and petits fours to a hotel standard, so every course and every coffee break ends well.
- Department
- Galley
- Reports to
- Head Chef or Executive Chef
- Yacht size
- 70m to 150m+
- Contract
- Permanent or rotation
- Starting pay
- €4,500 per month
What the job is
On big yachts the galley works like a small hotel kitchen, and the pastry chef owns one section of it. You make the morning bread and viennoiserie, the plated desserts for lunch and dinner, birthday and celebration cakes, ice creams, sorbets, chocolates and the petits fours that go out with coffee. You also bake for the crew mess, so a busy day can mean feeding twelve guests and thirty crew from the same oven.
Guests on these yachts have eaten in the best restaurants in the world, and they notice. You work from a preference sheet that lists allergies, diets and dislikes, and you adapt fast: gluten free croissants one morning, a vegan tasting menu the next, a three tier cake for a surprise party with six hours' notice. Space is tight, ovens are small, and the boat moves, so laminating dough and tempering chocolate at sea takes planning and good technique.
You work closely with the head chef on menus and with the chief stewardess on timing and presentation. Off charter you test recipes, deep clean your section, organise dry stores and order specialist ingredients such as couverture, vanilla and nut flours before the next trip. Some yachts hire a pastry chef only for the season or for owner trips, but on 80m and above it is usually a permanent or rotational post.
What makes a good one
- Viennoiserie and bread at hotel standard
- Plated desserts and petits fours
- Chocolate and sugar work
- Allergen and dietary adaptation
- Working clean in a small galley at sea
A day in the life
- 05:30Into the galley to bake off the croissants, pains au chocolat and sourdough you shaped the night before. Fresh bread goes to the crew mess first.
- 07:30Breakfast service. You plate a fruit platter, warm pastries and a gluten free option for one guest, then send them up with the stewards.
- 09:30Mise en place for lunch and dinner. You churn passion fruit sorbet, make a sablé base and temper chocolate while the sea is still flat.
- 12:30Lunch on the aft deck. You plate a light dessert of macerated strawberries, basil and meringue, timing it with the chief stewardess.
- 14:30Afternoon tea for guests coming back from the beach club: mini tarts, madeleines and an iced cake for the children.
- 16:00Short break in your cabin, then a check of dry stores and a list for the provisioner in Porto Cervo tomorrow.
- 18:30Final prep for dinner. You assemble a plated chocolate dessert and a dairy free version, and finish the petits fours.
- 21:00Dessert service, then coffee and petits fours go up. You shape and prove tomorrow's viennoiserie and clean down your section by 23:00.
Pay by country
Monthly salary for a pastry chef on a 70m to 150m yacht, usually paid in EUR or USD. Charter tips are shared on top and can add one to two months' pay per season.
- France and Monaco
- €4,500 – 6,500
- Spain
- €4,500 – 6,500
- Italy
- €4,500 – 6,500
- United Kingdom
- £3,800 – 5,500
- USA (Florida)
- US$5,000 – 7,000
- Caribbean
- US$5,000 – 7,000
- UAE
- AED 18,000 – 26,000
- Australia
- A$7,500 – 10,500
- New Zealand
- NZ$8,000 – 11,500
Required
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- Food Safety Level 2
- PDSD
- Professional pastry qualification or equivalent experience
Recommended
- Ship's Cook Certificate (MCA)
- Food Safety Level 3
- Allergen awareness training
- Hotel or Michelin restaurant pastry experience
- Medical First Aid
Visas
- Schengen visa (non EU crew)
- US C1/D
- US B1/B2
- Australian MCV
Where it leads
Pastry Chef jobs open now
Questions crew ask
Do I need yacht experience to get a pastry chef job?
Not always. Many yachts hire pastry chefs straight from five star hotels or top restaurants, as long as you have STCW, an ENG1 and a strong portfolio of photos.
Will I only make pastry?
Mostly, but on smaller teams you will help on other sections, cook crew meals and cover breakfast when the galley is stretched.
Is it a seasonal job?
Some yachts hire for the summer season or owner trips only, but on 80m and above the role is usually permanent or on rotation, such as two months on, two off.