Become a Pastry Chef: An Introduction to Baking and Pastry
The popularity of baking and pastry has never been higher, but what does it take to become a pastry chef? Passion, creativity, and drive are three key characteristics that are essential to pursuing any career in the culinary arts. This is especially true for baking and pastry students. Developing pastries and desserts is as much of a science as it is an art form. The precision, technical skills, and knowledge required to design to and execute the latest dishes and innovate in the kitchen can all be learned at culinary school. Here is a closer look at what studying Advanced Baking and Pastry is like at LCI.
The baking and pastry curriculum at Louisiana Culinary Institute teaches and develops the essential skills that every chef needs, as well as preparation for a career in the real world. The daily duties of pastry chef can include:
- Creating menus
- Collaborating with other chefs
- Developing new dishes
- Managing inventory
- And more
With this wide range of activities, as well as the responsibilities of running a business, or managing a division of one (i.e. the bakery in a restaurant or hotel), it is important that the lessons go beyond what is taught in the kitchen. This is why culinary students are also exposed to accounting, leadership, English composition, and entrepreneurship classes as well.
Now that we’ve covered some of the duties and peripheral proficiencies that baking and pastry students need, let’s take a closer look at the some of the skills and lessons that pastry chefs need.
Of course, as with any culinary concentration, a prime focus on food safety is present. In addition to professional cooking classes, introductory classes focused on bread and confections are also a part of the early curriculum. As your skills become more established so does the complexity of your lessons. From cake and entremet methods to dessert production from a catering and restaurant perspective, as well as classroom and lab-based teaching, your education prepares you for a variety of career paths.
LCI features a state-of-the art facility with classes led by professional chefs, and a robust network of successful alumni that are all across the country.
