Head Pastry Chef | Events

The Venue & Events Team

Merivale’s Events team delivers some of Sydney’s most memorable experiences across the iconic ivy and Establishment precincts. From high-energy cocktail parties and immersive food installations to elegant private dinners, breakfast functions and large-scale off-site productions - our pastry offering plays a defining role in every experience.

No two days are the same. You’ll be delivering multiple events simultaneously across different spaces, while also producing pastry and dessert elements for external productions beyond the precinct. Supported by one of the largest and best-resourced kitchens in the business, the team produces a wide and ever-evolving range of desserts - from refined plated finishes and intricate canapés to bespoke, client-led creations designed to elevate the overall event.

This is a fast-paced, collaborative environment where technical excellence, creativity and scale come together to create unforgettable moments.

The Role

We’re looking for a Head Chef Pastry with a strong restaurant background - someone who brings the discipline, precision and mindset of a fine-dining or premium pastry kitchen and is ready to apply that thinking to the world of high-end events.

This role is ideal for a Head Chef Pastry who:

• Thrives on precision, structure and flawless execution
• Is excited to apply restaurant-level pastry standards at scale
• Enjoys complexity, volume and simultaneous service delivery
• Wants to develop bespoke dessert concepts for premium events
• Collaborates well with Senior Management and our Exec Chef team

You’ll lead the events pastry kitchen, capable of delivering multiple services at once, while driving quality, consistency and creativity across every dessert and sweet finish.

What We’re Looking For

• A proven Head Chef Pastry with 3+ years’ experience, ideally from a premium restaurant, fine-dining or high-end pastry background
• A restaurant-first pastry mindset - detail-driven, quality-obsessed and process-focused
• Curiosity and ambition to master large-scale, high-end event pastry production
• Confidence leading, developing and motivating a large, diverse pastry team
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple events, timelines and production schedules
• Solid commercial understanding, including food costing, COGS, P&L and kitchen administration
• Broad pastry knowledge, strong technical foundations and creative adaptability

Previous events or banquet pastry experience is beneficial but not essential - mindset, leadership and standards matter more than background.

The Reward

You’ll be supported by a business that genuinely invests in its people and long-term growth:

• Competitive salary and award rates
• Paid parental leave with flexible return-to-work support
• Exceptional discounts across 90+ Merivale venues
• Career progression and development through the Merivale Academy
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employee Referral Program