by Ian Gibbs

Created on: January 16, 2009   Last Updated: February 02, 2009

Pursuing a Career as a Baking and Pastry Chef

In this time of economic debacle, a time when the strength of any given market must be taken into serious consideration before deciding to pursue a career in that field, the current high demand for bakers and pastry chefs is not to be overlooked.
If you have a sweet tooth, an eye for detail and a passion for customer service, this could be what you're looking for.

Though hands-on experience helps greatly in landing a baking or pastry chef position, attending a school that specializes in this delectable, sweet science puts an aspiring baker or pastry chef a huge, delicious, frosting-coated cut above the rest. Studying baking and pastry making at Kendall College in Chicago, Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Atlanta, Boston, Las Vegas, Miami, Minneapolis-St. Paul or Dallas, or The International Culinary Schools at the Art Institutes, which boasts over twenty locations nationwide, to name a few, gives budding bakers and pastry chefs access to invaluable knowledge, experiences and professional connections that will give them a considerable head start in beginning their new careers.

While attending baking and pastry schools, students have the privilege of studying with the masters of the industry and utilizing all that the schools' industry-current, state-of-the-art kitchens have to offer. Students learn the art of pastry production, how to operate a pastry facility as well as how to plan and present a prodigious pastry buffet.
They develop nutritional awareness, problems-solving skills and their ability to adhere to professional standards in all aspects of the business while greatly benefiting from hands-on experience in participating establishments as well.

Upon graduating from such fine institutions, aspiring bakers and pastry chefs have excellent chances of being hired by high-end restaurants, artisanal bakeries, catering services, hotels, coffee and pastry shops, resorts, retail and wholesale baking establishments and casinos, but they aren't limited to these options. As breads and pastries are considered the backbone of the western culinary tradition, it is only fitting that food writers, caterers and restaurant owners have usually attended baking and pastry schools before honing in on these specialties.
In short, don't underestimate the significant payoff of acquiring the knowledge, the experience and the connections that studying at a baking and pastry school can provide.

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