Pastry Chef Career Path: What Does it Take to Become a Pastry Chef?
Professional bakers, like pastry chefs, earn a competitive wage while enjoying an artistically satisfying career. But what are some of the career options for pastry chefs? And why do those pursuing these titles need a formal education?
Career Options for Pastry Chefs
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, these are the five industries that employ the majority of bakers and pastry chefs in the United States.
- Bakeries and tortilla manufacturers
- Grocery stores
- Restaurants and commercial eateries
- General merchandise stores
- Specialty food stores
These diverse sales outlets offer different types of confections to appeal to their customers’ unique tastes and preferences. While each industry relies on a steady supply of freshly made foodstuffs, their operating needs vary greatly. Smaller businesses, like family-owned coffee shops, may only need one or two bakery staff members to keep up with demands for pies, cakes, and donuts from their clients. Bigger businesses, like mass producers of grocery store brands, require a large bakery staff to keep their production lines running smoothly.
Job titles and specific duties depend on the size and purpose of the bakery business. Here are a few of the job titles professional bakers might hold.
- Apprentice bakers are entry-level workers. While they gain experience while working under the direction of head bakers. During their workday, apprentice bakers help facilitate production by mixing ingredients, cleaning equipment and workspaces, and keeping track of inventories.
- Production bakers work large corporations that produce bread, pastries, and other goods for sale in grocery store outlets. These positions are a little more technical than other bakery positions. These high-volume bakers depend on advanced manufacturing machinery to help make a large number of baked goods every day.
- Retail bakers usually make and sell their goods in the same location. These shops may be based on a theme or specialty, like vegan or sugar-free recipes. Retail bakeries offer clients a wide variety of tasty choices each day, which means bakers get to have fun and experiment with new flavors and techniques.
- Head bakers are needed in every type of bakery operation to organize staff, manage inventories and ordering, and plan menus. Head bakers are responsible for most of the details of daily operations. These positions require years of advanced work experience.
Other bakers may opt to go into business for themselves, working from a commercial kitchen or even out of their own homes to bring their personal brand of baked goods to the world. A skilled pastry chef has many career options.
Benefits of a Formal Education in the Baking Field
It is possible to start a successful baking career without no experience or formal training. Those with natural talent may be able to find a low-paying apprentice position to get started. These jobs give them the ability to observe and learn from more experienced workers. However, these positions are often light on actual baking duties. It could take years to earn the trust of kitchen staff and management before an apprentice is allowed to work with foodstuffs. Even then, their actions are usually heavily supervised to ensure quality results.
A formal baking education gives applicants a firm foundation of knowledge and techniques that can be applied in most bakeries. Instead of wasting time sweeping floors and peeping around shoulders to learn the trade, job seekers with diplomas are able to fill positions that give them real experience in doing what they love, which is to create delicious confections. That means applicants can find higher-paying, more fulfilling positions than those who rely on unverified talent. There are other benefits to gaining a formal education.
- Bakery school prepares students for the rigors of working in a commercial kitchen.
- Students with accredited credentials don’t need as much work experience to fill roles with more responsibilities.
- A degree program exposes students to a variety of techniques, so they are more valuable to potential employers.
Are you ready to start earning money doing what you love? The Diploma in Baking and Pastry Arts from the Culinary Institute of Virginia at the College of Culinary Arts at ECPI University could be your first step to launching a new career. For more information, connect with a knowledgeable admissions counselor today.
It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!
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Gainful Employment Information – Baking & Pastry Arts - Diploma
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