Pastry Chef Training: What is Required to Become a Pastry Chef?

Pastry chefs craft fresh-baked delicacies that satisfy almost any comfort food craving. These chefs specialize in sweet treats such as cupcakes, doughnuts, cakes, and lots more. You might have gone to a pastry chef for a wedding cake or ordered some petit fours for a dinner party you were hosting.

But how do you become a pastry chef? Making delicious deserts is clearly not enough to become a professional. Let's take a look to see what you will need to achieve your goal!

What Does a Pastry Chef Do?

More than just putting together tempting sweets, pastry chefs are a vital part of any culinary team. They perform a number of different duties that contribute to a productive commercial kitchen.

• Clean and prepare utensils and other equipment
• Measure and weigh ingredients
• Use mixers, blenders, ovens, and other appliances to manufacture goods
• Decorate baked goods for presentation
• Recommend ingredients or recipes to the head chef
• Communicate with coworkers and customers to ensure the production of high-quality baked goods

Bakery work is physically demanding. Pastry chefs are exposed to high temperatures from the ovens for most of their shifts. Kneading, rolling, cutting, and shaping dough requires upper body strength and overall stamina.

Future pastry chefs also need strong math skills to be able to accurately adjust ingredient measurements when necessary. The ability to multitask is important too. Being able to keep track of multiple ovens while working on other things helps bakeries produce with quality and speed.

Some chefs may need customer service skills. Specific job duties may vary depending on the work environment and needs of the business.

What Are the Educational Requirements for Pastry Chefs?

Bakery jobs do not require advanced degrees. Most confectionery chefs start at the bottom as low-paid apprentices. They receive on-the-job training that can sometimes last several years. If a pastry chef decides to change employers, they often need to start from the beginning and prove their skill and knowledge.

While a high school diploma is enough to get your foot in the door, a formal training program is recommended for those who are serious about their careers. Successfully completing a culinary training program gives you several advantages over your competition.

• If you don’t have previous bakery experience, a degree from a formal study program shows that you are capable and knowledgeable.
• The techniques you learn in class can be used right away in a commercial kitchen. You will need less training, which saves your employer money.
• Training programs expose you to a variety of production methods. Your studies will prepare you to work in many different settings, which gives you more career options.
• In addition to learning how to create delicious baked goods, culinary training programs teach important business fundamentals. The ability to control food costs, work cleanly and safely, and efficient production will elevate you from entry-level employee to invaluable asset.

An accelerated training program can prepare you for kitchen duty in about 15 months.

What You Should Learn as a Pastry Student

On-the-job training only teaches you one way to run a bakery. A culinary training program prepares students to be productive members of any bakery team. While specifics may vary by school, most pastry programs teach:

• The use of specialized tools and cookware
• Recipes, cooking techniques, and decorating
• Kitchen safety and sanitation
• Purchasing and cost control
• Nutrition and the use of alternative ingredients for food sensitivities

A good program will include hands-on learning opportunities that test and challenge what is learned in class. When training is complete, students will be ready to work in restaurants, grocery stores, and other dining facilities where handmade baked goods are needed.

Are you interested in pastry degree? If you want to earn an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Baking and Pastry Arts, ECPI University's Culinary Institute of Virginia offers this degree as part of their year-round classes. For more information on this accelerated program, connect with a friendly admissions advisor today.

It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

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Gainful Employment Information – Baking & Pastry Arts – Associate's

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