Question: Questions about being a pastry chef?
Im 16 and i wish to be a pastry chef. please profesionally answer as much as possible, thank you =)
first off, i can't bake or cook. will i still be able to be one?(i mean isn't that what colleges are for?) what program or collges do i need to go to?
how will we find a job in restarunt? will it pay emough to support a family? and i wish to work out of the states, like in italy, france, china, or japan, how will that work? and do ineed to attend a vocational school, college or other program? thank you for your consideration =D
Answer:
You need to do some research on what schools are right for you. Some good places to start include New England Culinary Institute, Johnson & Wales, Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. They are all a bit different. You can search "culinary schools" and the state you are in to see what schools are close to you and go from there.
If you go to school to learn how to be a pastry chef, you should have access to their career center who can help guide you. Again, searching online for restaurants that are hiring where you want to work, networking with the restaurant community and referrals are all "must do's" as you search for the right fit.
Regarding compensation/pay: Depending on how in demand your skills are and your level of competency, it may or may not be enough to support your family. Many chef's hold two jobs.
If you want to work internationally, you need to network internationally. It's also good to find a school that has international contacts so you can utilize them as you search.
Regarding the type of school you need to go to: It needs to be the best school you can find and afford, that specializes in training pastry chefs.
I recommend you start now looking a baking receipes on the internet and experimenting in the kitchen. Then serve to family they will critique your final product. This will also assist you in determining if you really truly want this career.
Culinary Arts Classes
If your high school doesn't have a vocational program in culinary arts, it may offer culinary arts or cooking classes. Through the course of a semester, you will learn proper kitchen safety, menu planning, portion control, cooking techniques, how to read recipes and more. You will also have labs where you will cook various dishes for a grade. This is also a good opportunity to get needed hands-on experience. Some schools will charge a fee for these classes to cover the cost of ingredients.
Work-Study
Another way to get valuable hands-on experience in learning to be a chef is to sign up for your high school's work study program. You can take a paying job with a restaurant to learn more about cooking. This will be real-world experience that will give you an idea whether you like the work life of a chef and if you can handle the stress of working in a bustling work environment. Such work experience can also grow into positions with more responsibility as you learn more about the job.
If you are interested in baking and pastry and are considering it as a career choice, it is important to know what area you want to focus on.
•Do you want to bake artisan breads?
•Are you interested in making wedding cakes?
•Cupcakes?
•Perhaps you are inspired by pastry competitions and really want to make complex presentation desserts.
•Or maybe you want to become a chocolatier or candy maker.
There are many facets of baking and pastry, so it really pays to concentrate on a particular area.
If you’re still not sure, there are many ways to get your feet wet in these different areas without having to spend a lot of money. Many craft stores offer cake decorating classes. Consider signing up for one and seeing if you love it. Look into enthusiasts’ cooking classes in your area. Some restaurants and many caterers offer classes that focus on one specific area of cooking or baking.
More and more schools are offering that option, and I’m not trying to discourage you from going to culinary school if you want to experience it, but willingness to learn on the job, practicing and experimenting on your own are time-honored ways of eventually earning the “chef” title. Working your way up the ladder, at least in hotel and restaurant kitchens, really shows the people you work with that you are dedicated and serious about your chosen profession.
Going to Culinary School
If you know, however, that you want to go to culinary school, most nationally recognized programs offer specializations in baking and pastry. This is a great option for “pastry folks” for a couple of reasons:
1.Baking and Pastry programs are usually slightly less expensive than culinary programs and
2.You won’t have to butcher any meat or filet a fish!
Another option is to attend a baking and pastry school strictly devoted to pastry arts. Again, the Internet is your friend here. Search for one in, or close to, your area, and then go visit. You can find a good list of schools to start at Baking and Pastry Schools.
Variety in a Culinary Career
Culinary school prepares chefs for the heat of the kitchen, and specializing as a pastry chef creates a greater variety of career paths. In a pastry chef's culinary career, jobs can be found at bakeries, restaurants, hotels, resorts, cruise ships, higher learning institutions, and even independent businesses. Maybe you'd like a job as a pastry chef at a corner bakery, thriving in the fast pace of an intimate setting. Or work toward a higher profile pastry chef position, in a hotel restaurant or seaside resort. You can also be a pastry chef who specializes in wedding cakes, enjoying the stability of the $40 billion-a-year wedding industry.
you need to do a normal cooking class like food prep
for one semester once you finish you should do introduction to baking part 1