pastry chef
Role type: Hourly
Location: O’Rourke Family Estates, Lake Country, BC
Reports to: Estate Chef
Compensation: $20-$25 per hour plus participation in tip pool
The Opportunity
We are seeking a Pastry Chef to lead the pastry program across O’Rourke Family Estate. You will develop and execute the dessert program for Row 188’s multi-course tasting menus, create pastry for the Granite Café and Packing House Patio, support the Chef’s Dining Room cooking class experiences, and contribute to estate events including winemaker dinners, private dining, and seasonal celebrations. This is a creative leadership role for a pastry chef who wants to build a program from the ground up — one that reflects a place, a season, and an estate.
About O’Rourke Family Vineyards
O’Rourke Family Vineyards is a family-owned wine and hospitality group rooted in the Okanagan, bringing together premium vineyards, thoughtful wine production, and elevated guest experiences. With two distinct destination properties, the company spans both approachable and luxury expressions of wine tourism.
Peak Cellars is a welcoming winery focused on expressive wines and warm hospitality, complemented by the Garden Bistro, where seasonal cuisine and vineyard surroundings create an inviting setting for guests. O’Rourke Family Estate represents the group’s flagship vision, combining ambitious architecture, estate-driven winemaking, and refined dining experiences that showcase the estate’s culinary and wine programs.
Across the portfolio, O’Rourke Family Vineyards is deeply involved in every stage of the process — from vineyard stewardship and farming decisions through to winemaking, blending, and bottling. The company also produces a diverse calendar of events and experiences that bring together wine, food, and community, supported by close collaboration across hospitality, culinary, production, and events teams.
For prospective team members, O’Rourke Family Vineyards offers a dynamic, growth-oriented workplace that values craftsmanship, professionalism, teamwork, and pride in creating memorable experiences within one of Canada’s most exciting wine regions.
What You’ll Do
Row 188 Dessert Program
- Design and execute dessert courses for the three-course and five-course tasting menus, with seasonal rotations that reflect the estate’s gardens and orchard
- Develop wine-friendly dessert pairings in collaboration with the Estate Chef and sommeliers
- Maintain plating precision and portion consistency through every service
- Contribute to the amuse-bouche and mignardise program as the menu requires
Estate-Wide Pastry Production
- Produce pastries, baked goods, and sweets for the Granite Café and Packing House Patio — approachable in format, estate-quality in execution
- Develop pastry components and bespoke dessert experiences for private dining, weddings, winemaker dinners, and estate events
- Lead pastry production for the Chef’s Dining Room cooking class program, including interactive pastry experiences for guests
- Collaborate with the culinary team on cross-program dishes and special occasion menus
Sourcing & Estate Integration
- Work directly with the estate’s garden and greenhouse team to build a pastry program driven by what is grown on-site — stone fruit, berries, herbs, edible flowers
- Develop preserves, infusions, and pantry components from estate-grown ingredients to extend seasonality across the year
- Champion a zero-waste approach to production, using whole ingredients creatively and minimizing surplus
Operations & Team
- Manage pastry scheduling, ordering, inventory, and cost controls
- Hire, train, and develop pastry staff and cross-train kitchen staff on basic pastry production as needed
- Maintain food safety, HACCP compliance, and cleanliness standards throughout the pastry kitchen
- Contribute to menu costing and ensure pastry meets margin targets without compromising quality
What You Bring
Experience & Credentials
- Minimum 3–5 years of experience in a professional pastry kitchen, with at least 2 years in a leadership role
- Fine dining or destination dining background preferred — you understand what a tasting menu dessert course demands
- Demonstrated range across plated desserts, viennoiserie, café pastry, and event production
- Experience with estate or seasonal ingredient programs is a genuine advantage
- Pastry diploma or culinary credential preferred; exceptional practical experience equally considered
Skills & Character
- Creative and technically disciplined — your ideas are grounded in real skill
- Attuned to flavour in a wine context — you understand how sweetness, acidity, and texture interact with what’s in the glass
- Self-directed and organized — the pastry kitchen runs on your planning
- Collaborative by nature — you thrive in a team environment and take pride in how your program fits the whole
- Genuinely inspired by seasonal, locally-grown ingredients and the creative possibilities they offer
Additional Benefits
- A fully resourced estate kitchen with two greenhouses, three gardens, and a working orchard as your pantry
- Creative latitude to build a pastry program that reflects the estate, the season, and your craft
- An expanding culinary calendar — events, cooking classes, private dining, and winemaker experiences
- Close collaboration with a culinary leadership team invested in long-term recognition
- Competitive compensation, benefits, and housing support available
- Year-round employment in one of Canada’s most celebrated wine regions
- Employee Estate Wine & Hospitality Discounts
- On Site Parking
How to Apply
We’d love to hear from you. Please send your resume and a brief note on what draws you to Row 188 and any relevant portfolio or references to julien.lamrani@peakcellars.com.
O’Rourke Family Vineyards adheres to employment equity and equal opportunity programs and encourages all candidates to apply. We would like to thank all applicants for submitting their resume; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
