# resort banquet pastry production... pros and cons?



## freshbaked (Jun 20, 2016)

I have an interview with a local resort in Scottsdale, Arizona for a banquet pastry production position. Can anyone tell me the pros and cons of working 1) at a resort 2) banquet pastry?

thanks!


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## Pat Pat (Sep 26, 2017)

I can answer question 2. It's very boring [to me]. You make hundreds/thousands of the same item a day, and everything is usually done in an assembly line system. Some day you'll be doing just a single thing all day long; it's mind-numbing.

Some people do like it, however. They say it's easy on the mind; like you can let your mind wander a bit as you repeatedly do the same task for hours at a time. Whereas in a bakeshop/restaurant, you'll usually have 10 different things going on at once and you have to be on high alert throughout your shift.


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## harpua (May 4, 2005)

I've done it. Resorts are cool because you'd get a room discount. It's a great job if you need to learn high volume production and consistency. I took a lot away from that job. There are so many outlets like room service, amenities, etc... that you need to worry about which can add some stress to the department. Resorts also never ever close. I always hated that. Open on holidays. There was a lot of bull*** to put up with but it's where I learned to deal with difficult people and not be so whiney (no wait, I still don't know how to deal with them!). 

It was valuable as a young pastry cook but I probably wouldn't do it again. They do take care of you to make sure you stick around but I left after 2 years.


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## chefross (May 5, 2010)

I love terminology. I'd be very interested in what they call a "pastry cook?" I'd also be interested in knowing if product is made from raw materials in house or purchased and reheated. I have known many pastry school graduates who never got a chance to utilize what they learned because they were hired to basically open packages of dough, transfer them to a proof box and then bake them off. I know one now who works for Panera as a line manager........with a Pastry Chef degree.


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## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

@chefross, They have some really cool accessories for Pastry Chefs. One is an Italian Cenzo leather belt with a holster to hold your box cutter.


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## automne (Apr 9, 2011)

I just left a pastry cook position at a resort/hotel after nearly five years. Great place to dip your toes into the industry and learn because you'll doing the same things over and over again. But that's also the problem. It becomes monotonous and stifles creativity. Plus, the pastry kitchen will be the one area that will have fingers in every area of the hotel: amenities, restaurant outlets, in-room dining, banquets, conferences, weddings, break stations, etc. It becomes stressful, especially when sales and managers don't do their job and effectively communicate.

If you're just starting out, I recommend a hotel kitchen. Otherwise, look elsewhere. I just took a position as the pastry chef at a luxury retirement community where the work-life balance seems to actually exist, nowhere near as high-volume, and I have more freedom in what I produce.


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