Job Description:

Position Title: Pastry Chef

Position Type: Full-Time

FLSA Classification: Exempt

Department: Hospitality

Reports to: Associate Director of Culinary Operations

Date Reviewed: 1.7.26

About Crystal Bridges & The Momentary:

Crystal Bridges is a museum of American art located in Bentonville, Arkansas. We explore the unfolding story of America by actively collecting, exhibiting, interpreting, and preserving outstanding works that illuminate the American heritage and artistic possibilities. Founded by Alice Walton in 2005, the museum opened in 2011 and is a public, non-profit charitable organization with free admission.

The Momentary is a contemporary art space that opened to the public on February 22, 2020, in downtown Bentonville, Arkansas. The Momentary is a venue for the music, art, and food of our time, and a catalyst for creativity and economic vitality. An extension to Crystal Bridges, the Momentary is a ‘living room’ where community gathers to be inspired, connected, and joyful. You belong here: make the most of this moment.

Position Summary:

The Pastry Chef is responsible for the development, execution, and oversight of the dessert and pastry program for Quartz & Honey, a dessert café centered at the intersection of culinary arts and visual arts. This role is critical to the success of Quartz & Honey and will lead the creation of both rotating, exhibit-inspired sweets and permanent, signature compositions.

The Pastry Chef will directly oversee a Sous Chef and at least one line cook, collaborate closely with the Chef de Cuisines, FOH leadership, and the broader Hospitality team. In the long term, this position will support dessert preparation, presentation, and menu writing across campus, including institutional cafés and programming.

This position requires extensive knowledge and ability to make breads, pastry and confectionary; specifically Croissants, candies, and sweet desserts.

Principal Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, and execute a refined dessert and pastry program for Quartz & Honey that reflects the intersection of Culinary & Arts.
• Create two internally defined categories of offerings: rotating “Exhibits or Interpretations” inspired by art, exhibitions, or celebrations, and “Compositions” or “Permanent Collection” items that remain available year-round with minor iterations.
• Lead daily pastry production, presentation, and quality standards, ensuring consistency, creativity, and excellence.
• Directly supervise and train pastry and line-level culinary staff, fostering skill development, accountability, and collaboration.
• Develop scalable, repeatable recipes using base formats with seasonal, regional, and museum-inspired variations.
• Maintain clear documentation and recipe standards with the long-term goal of compiling a cookbook-style collection.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with the Associate Director of Culinary and Director of Hospitality to inspire and align offerings with pastry menus.
• Partner with the Hospitality team to develop programming and special events centered around Quartz & Honey.
• Oversee and execute dessert production, plating standards, and menu development across campus as needed.
• Contribute to menu planning that balances creativity, operational efficiency, and guest engagement.
• Ensure food safety, sanitation, and organizational standards are consistently met.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications and Skills:

Minimum education:

• Culinary degree or minimum of 5 years professional pastry experience.
• Must be able to read, analyze, and interpret common technical problems, financial reports, and documents.
• Must be able to work with basic mathematical concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, probability, and proportions.

Preferred education:

• Advanced pastry training or specialization in desserts, entremets, laminated doughs, and candies.

Preferred training and traits:

• Strong creative vision, technical pastry skills, attention to detail, and the ability to translate artistic inspiration into edible form.
• Must be organized and clean.

Skills Needed:

• Pastry production
• Dessert production,
• Confectionary production,
• Menu development,
• Leadership and staff supervision,
• Recipe documentation,
• Collaboration across departments
• Adaptability in a dynamic, guest-focused environment.

Physical Demands and Work Environment:

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Physical demands:
  • Ability to stand and walk for extended periods during production and service times.
  • Ability to bend, reach, twist, and perform repetitive hand and wrist motions required for pastry and confectionery work.
  • Ability to lift, carry, and move items weighing up to 50 pounds, including bags of flour or sugar, small equipment, and food products.
  • Ability to work in a kitchen environment with exposure to heat, cold, humidity, and noise.
  • Manual dexterity sufficient to perform detailed pastry work, including piping, decorating, finishing, and sugar or chocolate work.
  • Visual acuity to evaluate food quality, presentation, and color consistency.

• Work Environment:
  • Work will be performed in an office environment, museum spaces, and in communities served. The physical arrangement of the office may require the position to work in an open environment within proximity to other colleagues. Workspace must be organized and reflect efficiency. The noise level in the Museum work environment is usually low to moderate. Frequent evening and weekend work hours and some travel is required.

All offers of employment are contingent on your successful completion (where permitted by state law) of a confidentiality agreement and background check. In addition, you will need to provide proper identification verifying your eligibility to work in the United States.

Crystal Bridges is an equal opportunity employer committed to building and maintaining a workplace that is free of discrimination and harassment of any kind. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate.