Pastry Chef Education: How Can I Learn the Ins and Outs of Baking and Pastry Arts?
Baking and pastry skills (arts) may be the sweetest category of professional culinary specializations. There are a wide range of companies and organizations looking for educated, trained baking and pastry arts professionals:
- Bakeries
- Corporate dining vendors
- Grocery stores
- Hotels
- Resorts
- Restaurants
…And more offer onsite baking and pastry arts. Few can resist the smell of fresh bread and pies baking!
Paris est le Numéro 1 Mondial!
Paris is number one worldwide for the finest baking and pastries. We can’t all go to France. But as you learn more about breads and pastries (baguettes, croissants, éclairs etc.), you’ll become familiar with culinary terms, many of which are French.
The Difference Between Bread and Pastry
Breads are usually one of three classifications:
- Levain – Rye or wheat flours are used (no preservatives) and the dough goes through a fermentation process before baked.
- Maison – Bread that is prepared and baked on the premises.
- Tradition – These breads have never been frozen during the manufacturing process. Ingredients include wheat flour, yeast, and salt.
Pastry dough is made of flour, water, salt and a fat (The French use butter by the acre.). The butter creates air pockets in the mixture and the result is a lighter, flakier “crust,” usually paired with a sweet, savory filling.
Education vs. On-the-Job Training
The difference between a “cook” and a “chef” is usually formal education. A chef may hold one or more degrees in culinary arts. Or not. Many famous chefs have on-the-job training and experience rather than a degree. But increasingly, a formal education and a degree are proof of your strong commitment to this – or any – career.
A culinary school education gives you a leg up in a competitive job market. “Culinary school can give entry-level candidates an edge for all the technical training and skills required to be successful,” says Suzanne Goin, California chef and restauranteur. “You still have to be willing to work hard. It’s a great industry, but it’s not an easy one!” Celebrity chef Michael Mina agrees. “If they’re just starting out…I’m more inclined to hire someone who has a culinary school background.”
Most employers interviewed in 2014 said a chef candidate’s work ethic was more important than education. Others said they value hands-on training and experience. There is an industry need for skilled and work-ready bakers and pastry chefs.
What Do Culinary Arts Professionals Do?
Bread and pastry chefs must have advanced knowledge of large kitchen and restaurant cooking equipment, including high-quality knives, grinders, large ovens/stoves, and step-in coolers. Some of their professional responsibilities can include:
- Developing recipes and their presentations
- Ensuring equipment and supplies are adequate
- Inspecting products and their ingredients for freshness
- Keeping kitchens and work areas sanitary and functional
- Menu-planning
- Ordering supplies
- Supervising cooks and other food workers
Do What You Love and Love What You Do!
The average American works over 1,811 hours per year. Think about it: Why would you spend the rest of your life working a job that just pays the bills? If you’re one of those people that finds excitement in constantly changing challenges and you love good food, a career in the culinary industry would offer excitement and rewards every day; perhaps every hour!
If you want to go beyond creating satisfying foods to creating delicious works of art, becoming a baking and pastry professional is for you. As you work toward your degree, it won’t seem like work at all. Your college classes may cover:
- Advanced pastry design
- Alternative baking
- Artisan breads
- Banquet, buffet service
- Basic cakes, tarts
- Chocolate, confectionary design
- Cost controls
- Culinary fundamentals, skills, techniques
- Food service supervision
- Kitchen essentials
- Nutrition
- Petit fours, custards, glaciers
As a restaurant or food service manager, you’ll need business and supervisor skills, including:
- Communication
- Culture, diversity
- English composition
- Essentials for success
- Math
- Psychology
Bake the World a Better Place
Are your breads unlike any other? If you want to turn your passion into a career, you might want to earn an Associate of Applied Science in Baking and Pastry Arts. ECPI University's Culinary Institute of Virginia offers this program at an accelerated pace. For more information, connect with a helpful admissions advisor today.
It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!
DISCLAIMER – ECPI University makes no claim, warranty, or guarantee as to actual employability or earning potential to current, past or future students or graduates of any educational program we offer. The ECPI University website is published for informational purposes only. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information contained on the ECPI.edu domain; however, no warranty of accuracy is made. No contractual rights, either expressed or implied, are created by its content.
Gainful Employment Information – Baking & Pastry Arts – Associate's
For more information about ECPI University or any of our programs click here: http://www.ecpi.edu/ or http://ow.ly/Ca1ya.