Pastry Chef – Seasonal, From-Scratch Restaurant in the Finger Lakes

Kindred Fare is a spirited, seasonally driven restaurant in Geneva, NY, known for scratch cooking and local ingredients. We’re looking for a Pastry Chef to lead our dessert program and daily baking.

This position is ideal for a pastry professional who takes ownership, thrives on independence, and enjoys collaborating with a talented chef team. You’ll start your day early (typically between 7–9 a.m.) to create desserts, breads, and baked goods from scratch, overlapping with our prep crew mid-morning to communicate and coordinate for nightly service.

You’ll also have creative freedom to develop desserts for our Monday Chef’s Menu and special dinners throughout the year.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute wholesome seasonal dessert menus for nightly service
• Prepare and bake pastries, breads, and desserts completely from scratch
• Collaborate with the chef team on daily specials, events, and the Monday Chef’s Menu desserts
• Maintain consistency, quality, and visual appeal of all pastry offerings
• Manage pastry prep and daily production for dinner service
• Oversee ordering, inventory, and cost awareness for the pastry department
• Communicate with the prep team to coordinate production and storage
• Uphold cleanliness, organization, and food-safety standards
• Stay focused on guest feedback and reviews, working with the team to improve consistency and manage expectations for a great dining experience
• Occasionally assist the line or prep team during busy services — we all pitch in!
• Make occasional supply runs to local grocery stores or farm stands for seasonal ingredients.
• Accepting and checking daily deliveries, and managing maintenance visits that occur in the morning before prep team arrives.

What we expect from you:

• Minimum 2 years of professional experience as a Pastry Chef, Baker, or Dessert Cook in a restaurant, hotel, bakery, or creative retail environment.
• Solid work history and interest in a long-term, stable role
• Strong foundation in scratch pastry, breads, and plated dessert work
• Stays current with culinary and hospitality trends
• Proven experience in a role with creative input and ownership, not just baking off or following preset recipes
• Self-motivated, dependable, and confident running your own program
• Comfortable working independently in the morning and collaboratively with the team once prep begins
• Excellent time management and organization skills in a fast-paced environment
• Passion for local ingredients, seasonal cooking, and thoughtful presentation
• Valid driver’s license and personal vehicle required for local ingredient runs

Schedule

• 20–40 hours per week, depending on the season, with May through October being our busy season.
• If you want to work the night shifts as a line cook and are qualified, we can provide more hours throughout the entire year.
• Primarily daytime hours, generally beginning between 7–9 a.m and ending between 12pm-3pm, as needed.
• Occasional night work for wine dinners, special events, Graduation Weekend, Mother’s Day, New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day, or other busy nights when we need all hands on deck
• Closed on major holidays (Super Bowl, Easter, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day).

Compensation & Benefits

• Pay: $20–$25 per hour (based on experience)
• Health insurance and 401(k) with employer match
• Paid time off
• Flexible schedules since we are open 7 nights a week, your time can shift as long as you are meeting demands.
• Employee meal and dining discounts
• Opportunity to lead a creative pastry program with autonomy and input on menus

Our Culture

We’re serious about good food, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. The Kindred kitchen is easygoing, collaborative, and full of personality. Mornings start focused and calm, and as the prep crew rolls in, the energy builds, there’s music, laughter, and a steady rhythm to the day. We work hard, are committed to execute, communicate openly, and take pride in what we create.

If you’re someone who takes initiative, thrives on creativity, and enjoys being part of a lively team, you’ll fit right in here.