2 answers
Diamond
Student
New Orleans, Louisiana
1
Question
Asked
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What is the most direct path to become a pastry chef?
Hello I'm Diamond, a KIPP Renaissance High School senior considering a career in pastry chef. I want to learn more about what life is life as a pastry chef. I'm am interested in the path you took to get to your position as a pastry chef and what your typical day looks like. #pastry-chef #baker
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2 answers
Amanda Zimmerman
Executive Pastry Chef at Gertrude's
2
Answers
Updated
Amanda’s Answer
Hi Diamond,
The two most important things to have when going into pastry field are a good work ethic and a love for baking.
I went to a year long pastry school in southern Maryland which was an intense crash course on all things French pastry. It is called L'academie de Cuisine. School was a great option for me because it gave me the technical tools I needed to couple with my management experience to become a pastry chef.
With that being said, school is good, but everything I learned there can be learned in a kitchen with the right teachers. Kitchen employees come and go. Show up on time, work hard, and when there's not a lot going on clean! Those are the things chef's appreciate most in a kitchen employee.
Let your love of baking lead you in a lifetime of learning. I've been baking over 15 years, and only professionally for 2 years, and I have so much more to learn! I will never know everything there is to know, but I love to learn.
You dont have to wait until you graduate to start your journey. Call up some local pastry chefs and ask to stage with them. It's basically a shadow day to see how kitchens are run. Every kitchen is different so it's nice to stage at several different places to find out what kind of kitchen you would like to work in. You can also ask to meet with some chefs to talk to them about what their jobs look like, since every kitchen is different, every chef's job will be slightly different from another's. Good luck and have fun learning!
The two most important things to have when going into pastry field are a good work ethic and a love for baking.
I went to a year long pastry school in southern Maryland which was an intense crash course on all things French pastry. It is called L'academie de Cuisine. School was a great option for me because it gave me the technical tools I needed to couple with my management experience to become a pastry chef.
With that being said, school is good, but everything I learned there can be learned in a kitchen with the right teachers. Kitchen employees come and go. Show up on time, work hard, and when there's not a lot going on clean! Those are the things chef's appreciate most in a kitchen employee.
Let your love of baking lead you in a lifetime of learning. I've been baking over 15 years, and only professionally for 2 years, and I have so much more to learn! I will never know everything there is to know, but I love to learn.
You dont have to wait until you graduate to start your journey. Call up some local pastry chefs and ask to stage with them. It's basically a shadow day to see how kitchens are run. Every kitchen is different so it's nice to stage at several different places to find out what kind of kitchen you would like to work in. You can also ask to meet with some chefs to talk to them about what their jobs look like, since every kitchen is different, every chef's job will be slightly different from another's. Good luck and have fun learning!
Dada Shaik
90
Answers
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Updated
Dada’s Answer
Hi Diamond ,
Please make sure you become a good pastry chef by getting an admission in some of the fine culinary/pastry institutions.
Below are few of the institutions
1.The Culinary Institute of America
2.Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, USA
3.Institute of Culinary Education, New York, USA
All the best !
Please make sure you become a good pastry chef by getting an admission in some of the fine culinary/pastry institutions.
Below are few of the institutions
1.The Culinary Institute of America
2.Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, USA
3.Institute of Culinary Education, New York, USA
All the best !