Pastry Chef / Baker

Department: Culinary – Pastry & Bakery Production
Location: Harvest in the Gardens (HITG), Nassau, Bahamas

About Harvest in the Gardens

Harvest in the Gardens (HITG) is a hospitality destination where exceptional dining, immersive entertainment, meaningful community, and genuine hospitality come together to create unforgettable experiences.

Our Culinary Department supports multiple dining concepts, banquet operations, events, entertainment programming, and special experiences throughout the destination.

The Pastry Chef / Baker will play an important role in producing breads, pastries, desserts, cakes, breakfast baked goods, and other bakery items that meet HITG’s standards for flavor, freshness, quality, consistency, and presentation.

Position Overview

The Pastry Chef / Baker is responsible for preparing and producing approved pastry and bakery products for HITG dining concepts, banquet operations, events, and special experiences.

Reporting to the Head Chef – Banquet & Central Kitchen or assigned Culinary Leader, this role works from standardized recipes and production schedules to ensure products are prepared in the correct quantities, at the required time, and according to established quality, yield, presentation, food-safety, and sanitation standards.

The successful candidate must bring strong experience in both pastry and commercial baking and demonstrate the ability to balance technical craftsmanship with disciplined high-volume production.

Key Relationships

Reports To

Head Chef – Banquet & Central Kitchen

Collaborates With

• Culinary & Supply Chain Director

• Executive Chef and Head Chefs

• Sous Chefs

• Banquet Culinary Team

• Outlet Culinary Teams

• Stewarding Team

• Supply Chain Team

• Food Experience Teams

• Entertainment & Events Team

• People & Talent

Areas of Stewardship

Pastry & Bakery Production Stewardship

The Pastry Chef / Baker is responsible for producing consistent, high-quality pastry and bakery items.

Responsibilities include:

• Produce approved breads, rolls, pastries, desserts, cakes, cookies, breakfast baked goods, and plated-dessert components.

• Prepare doughs, batters, fillings, creams, custards, icings, glazes, garnishes, and decorative components.

• Follow standardized recipes, preparation methods, weights, temperatures, proofing times, baking times, yields, and presentation specifications.

• Weigh and measure ingredients accurately.

• Operate mixers, ovens, proofers, sheeters, scales, refrigeration, and other bakery equipment safely.

• Complete products in the correct quantities and within required production timelines.

• Maintain consistency across batches, outlets, events, and production periods.

• Support approved seasonal, promotional, banquet, and special-occasion items.

• Communicate production challenges or ingredient concerns promptly.

Quality & Presentation Stewardship

The Pastry Chef / Baker protects the quality, consistency, and appearance of finished products.

Responsibilities include:

• Evaluate taste, texture, volume, crumb, color, freshness, temperature, portioning, finish, and presentation.

• Ensure products meet approved recipes and visual standards.

• Identify and correct issues involving mixing, fermentation, proofing, baking, handling, cooling, decorating, or storage.

• Protect product quality during holding, packaging, transportation, display, and service.

• Ensure cakes, pastries, breads, and desserts are finished neatly and professionally.

• Support product testing and approved recipe development.

• Report recurring product, ingredient, equipment, or method concerns.

• Avoid unauthorized recipe, portion, ingredient, or presentation changes.

Production Planning Stewardship

The Pastry Chef / Baker is responsible for organizing production around outlet, banquet, breakfast, and event requirements.

Responsibilities include:

• Review production schedules, forecasts, banquet event orders, requisitions, and special requests.

• Plan work to account for fermentation, proofing, chilling, baking, cooling, decorating, packaging, storage, and delivery.

• Maintain appropriate par levels without unnecessary overproduction.

• Coordinate production priorities with Culinary leadership.

• Identify ingredient, equipment, storage, or labor concerns early.

• Label, date, rotate, store, and transfer products correctly.

• Complete production sheets, cooling records, waste records, and other required documentation.

• Adjust approved production plans when guest counts or operational requirements change.

• Ensure finished products are available at the required time.

Banquet, Event & Outlet Stewardship

The Pastry Chef / Baker supports pastry and bakery needs across the wider HITG operation.

Responsibilities include:

• Produce items for dining outlets, breakfasts, banquets, conferences, private events, entertainment programming, and special occasions.

• Review event requirements and production deadlines with Culinary leadership.

• Support approved customized cakes, dessert displays, amenities, and specialty products.

• Coordinate packaging, pickup, transfer, and delivery requirements.

• Communicate delays, substitutions, shortages, or quality concerns promptly.

• Maintain consistency across both small functions and high-volume events.

• Respond professionally to approved changes in guest counts and priorities.

• Protect finished products during transportation and service.

Cost, Yield & Waste Stewardship

The Pastry Chef / Baker supports disciplined food-cost and production controls.

Responsibilities include:

• Follow standardized portioning and recipe yields.

• Monitor batch results, trim, breakage, spoilage, overproduction, and product loss.

• Use ingredients responsibly and follow approved inventory-rotation procedures.

• Record waste accurately and communicate recurring concerns.

• Help reduce unnecessary remakes and production errors.

• Protect high-value ingredients and specialty products.

• Support physical inventory counts and product organization when required.

• Report significant yield, quality, or usage variances.

• Balance cost awareness with approved quality and presentation standards.

Food Safety, Sanitation & Allergen Stewardship

The Pastry Chef / Baker is responsible for maintaining safe and sanitary production practices.

Responsibilities include:

• Follow food-safety, sanitation, hygiene, allergen, labeling, storage, cooling, and temperature-control standards.

• Prevent cross-contamination and allergen cross-contact.

• Communicate allergy-related requirements clearly.

• Maintain clean and organized workstations, tools, racks, storage, and refrigeration.

• Clean and sanitize equipment according to approved procedures.

• Store ingredients and finished products safely.

• Complete required cleaning and sanitation responsibilities.

• Report contamination concerns, pest activity, unsafe equipment, or product-quality issues immediately.

• Follow workplace safety and personal protective equipment requirements.

Team Member Stewardship

The Pastry Chef / Baker contributes to a professional, collaborative, and disciplined Culinary environment.

Responsibilities include:

• Participate in daily production meetings and briefings.

• Communicate respectfully with Culinary leaders and fellow Partners.

• Support other pastry, bakery, banquet, and outlet Partners as required.

• Maintain a clean, organized, and professional work area.

• Receive coaching and apply feedback promptly.

• Share technical knowledge and approved production practices.

• Support practical training of developing Culinary Partners when assigned.

• Protect confidential recipes, costs, vendor information, and business information.

• Foster teamwork, craftsmanship, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Cross-Functional Stewardship

The Pastry Chef / Baker coordinates with operational teams to support reliable production and service.

Responsibilities include:

• Communicate ingredient and supply needs to Culinary leadership and Supply Chain.

• Coordinate dishwashing, equipment, and sanitation needs with Stewarding.

• Work with banquet and outlet Culinary teams regarding quantities, timing, and presentation.

• Support Food Experience teams with approved product information.

• Coordinate with Entertainment & Events when pastry and bakery production supports programming.

• Report equipment and facility concerns promptly.

• Maintain strong communication across all supported concepts and functions.

Team Member Expectations

Pastry Chefs / Bakers are expected to demonstrate technical skill, consistency, creativity, discipline, organization, cleanliness, and sound judgment.

Team members should follow standardized recipes, protect product quality, manage production time effectively, communicate concerns early, and maintain exceptional food-safety and sanitation standards.

The successful candidate must understand that creativity operates within approved recipes, business needs, production capabilities, food-cost requirements, and presentation standards.

Key Competencies

• Pastry Production

• Commercial Baking

• Bread & Dough Production

• Cake & Dessert Preparation

• Recipe Adherence

• Production Planning

• Quality Control

• Food Safety

• Allergen Awareness

• Portion & Yield Control

• Time Management

• Organization

• Attention to Detail

• Creativity

• Teamwork

• Adaptability

Qualifications

Required

• Culinary, pastry, baking, or hospitality training preferred.

• Minimum three (3) years of professional pastry and commercial-baking experience.

• Demonstrated experience producing breads, pastries, desserts, cakes, and breakfast baked goods.

• Knowledge of mixing, fermentation, proofing, baking, cooling, finishing, portioning, and storage.

• Experience working from standardized recipes and measured yields.

• Strong food-safety, sanitation, hygiene, and allergen awareness.

• Ability to organize multiple production requirements and meet deadlines.

• Flexibility to work early mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, and changing production schedules.

Preferred

• Pastry, baking, or Culinary certification.

• Experience in a hotel, resort, commercial bakery, banquet operation, catering company, or high-volume kitchen.

• Experience supporting multiple outlets or food-service concepts.

• Food Handler’s Certificate or willingness to obtain one.

• Experience producing specialty cakes, plated desserts, viennoiserie, artisan breads, or decorative pastry work.

• Experience with production sheets, recipe costing, yield control, and inventory.

• Experience supporting the opening of a new Culinary operation.

Working Conditions

This position requires flexibility to work early mornings, mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, and special events.

The role is performed in active pastry, bakery, central-kitchen, banquet, and food-production environments.

The position may involve working around heat, ovens, refrigeration, flour, food allergens, sharp tools, heavy equipment, and changing production demands.

Proficiency Requirement

To successfully perform this position, the team member must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to safely, effectively, and consistently perform the essential functions of the role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions where applicable.

Our Commitment

At Harvest in the Gardens, we believe exceptional pastry and bakery products are created through craftsmanship, consistency, disciplined preparation, and respect for every ingredient.

Our Pastry Chef / Baker will help shape the breads, pastries, desserts, cakes, breakfast items, and specialty products guests experience across HITG.

If you are passionate about both pastry and commercial baking and take pride in producing consistent, beautifully presented products, we would love to hear from you.

Join Harvest in the Gardens and help create memorable Culinary experiences through exceptional baking, pastry craftsmanship, and disciplined production.