From Baking and Pastry Schools to a Yummy Career
by Amanda Fornecker
By going to baking and pastry schools, you can embark upon a freshly-baked career with the skills (and yummy goodies) that can make you a success. Take a look at Nancy Higgins' baking and pastry career.
A Delectable Education at Baking and Pastry Schools
Higgins was never really satisfied with school. That is, until she got to attend one of America's baking and pastry schools. "I enjoyed each and every class, because my heart was in it," she says. "School was fun for the first time in my life!" Some classes she recalls taking at The Culinary Institute of America (Hyde Park, NY) include nutrition, international cuisine, accounting, and four baking and pastry classes, among others. It was here, in baking and pastry schools, where she really fell in love with the field.
Also included in her course of study was an externship, lasting for five months, which consisted of working in a kitchen anywhere in the country or world. Higgins chose The French Quarter in New Orleans, where she met professional chefs who complimented her cream of broccoli soup. "To a young culinarian," she says, "that was big."
Some places of employment offer their employees the chance to work toward extra schooling in their field. A baking and pastry career is no different. Higgins began as an assistant pastry chef at the Omni International Hotel in Atlanta, which offered the chance to take extra classes at baking and pastry schools. Since she always wanted to travel to Switzerland, Higgins seized the opportunity and went to study at the Pfundt School of Confectionery (Zurich, Switzerland), where she got "to learn from the best," as she says.
Delicious Dessert
Baking and pastry schools are great to train students in the proper methods of baking, giving them the skills in machinery, health and safety practices, nutrition, and business. Those with a baking and pastry certificate are most likely to get the chance to work their way to executive pastry chef, like Higgins did. In this position, Higgins was in charge of the pastry kitchen at a country club, where she created the dessert menu daily. The most challenging part was keeping the customers happy. "The members want and expect the best," she says. "There is no room for error."
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates that in 2004, bakers held 166,000 jobs, the largest number of food processing occupations. The number of bakers is supposed to increase as fast as the average by 2014. As shops and bakeries increase, so will the demand for those in a baking and pastry career. In May 2004 the average salary for bakers was $21,330, according to the BLS.
Courses in the Kitchen
Baking and pastry schools give a great outlet for knowledge and networking, which are two key aspects on the road to success. At them, you'll work in a fully-functioning kitchen with perhaps the best-trained faculty. Higgins is one of the members on faculty at the Art Institute of Atlanta (Atlanta, GA). She always wanted to teach and believes in its importance. "As chefs, we teach and pass down what we know and what we have learned to our assistants, our sous chefs, our future chefs," she says.
And words of advice from an expert? "If this is where your heart is, follow it," she advises. "Work hard and be serious. Your education is the foundation for everything that follows."
A Delectable Education at Baking and Pastry Schools
Higgins was never really satisfied with school. That is, until she got to attend one of America's baking and pastry schools. "I enjoyed each and every class, because my heart was in it," she says. "School was fun for the first time in my life!" Some classes she recalls taking at The Culinary Institute of America (Hyde Park, NY) include nutrition, international cuisine, accounting, and four baking and pastry classes, among others. It was here, in baking and pastry schools, where she really fell in love with the field.
Also included in her course of study was an externship, lasting for five months, which consisted of working in a kitchen anywhere in the country or world. Higgins chose The French Quarter in New Orleans, where she met professional chefs who complimented her cream of broccoli soup. "To a young culinarian," she says, "that was big."
Some places of employment offer their employees the chance to work toward extra schooling in their field. A baking and pastry career is no different. Higgins began as an assistant pastry chef at the Omni International Hotel in Atlanta, which offered the chance to take extra classes at baking and pastry schools. Since she always wanted to travel to Switzerland, Higgins seized the opportunity and went to study at the Pfundt School of Confectionery (Zurich, Switzerland), where she got "to learn from the best," as she says.
Delicious Dessert
Baking and pastry schools are great to train students in the proper methods of baking, giving them the skills in machinery, health and safety practices, nutrition, and business. Those with a baking and pastry certificate are most likely to get the chance to work their way to executive pastry chef, like Higgins did. In this position, Higgins was in charge of the pastry kitchen at a country club, where she created the dessert menu daily. The most challenging part was keeping the customers happy. "The members want and expect the best," she says. "There is no room for error."
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates that in 2004, bakers held 166,000 jobs, the largest number of food processing occupations. The number of bakers is supposed to increase as fast as the average by 2014. As shops and bakeries increase, so will the demand for those in a baking and pastry career. In May 2004 the average salary for bakers was $21,330, according to the BLS.
Courses in the Kitchen
Baking and pastry schools give a great outlet for knowledge and networking, which are two key aspects on the road to success. At them, you'll work in a fully-functioning kitchen with perhaps the best-trained faculty. Higgins is one of the members on faculty at the Art Institute of Atlanta (Atlanta, GA). She always wanted to teach and believes in its importance. "As chefs, we teach and pass down what we know and what we have learned to our assistants, our sous chefs, our future chefs," she says.
And words of advice from an expert? "If this is where your heart is, follow it," she advises. "Work hard and be serious. Your education is the foundation for everything that follows."
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