How to Become a Pastry Chef

With the advent of reality cooking shows and master chef instruction television shows, there has been a rise in the desire of viewers to learn more about chefs and specifically how to become a pastry chef.  Master chefs have become the new celebrities.  With hot looking chefs like Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver showing up in the media and on t.v., more and more people either want to learn to cook more effectively or learn how to become a master chef.

Sweets of all kinds are on the uprise in popularity.  How many have noticed cupcakes appearing not only in the world of food, but also in fashion, decor and crafts.  The cupcake motif is an extremely popular trend.  All this contributes to the desire of many people in learning how to become a pastry chef.

Are you the Right Person for the Job?

Here are some questions to help you decide if you are the right person to learn how to become a pastry chef:

• do you love sweets, desserts and pastries?
  

• do you love to decorate cakes?
  

• have you always wanted to open your own pastry shop or bakery?
  

• would you love to learn how to create your own pastries from scratch for your own family?
  

• are you interested in learning how to invent your own recipes?
  

• are you a morning person? (pastry chefs and bakers get up very early and make their pastries before business opens in the morning - you will need to rise early and show up for work at an early hour)
  

• do you have any culinary ability and are you creative in the kitchen?
  

• do you have the physical stamina to stand for several hours at a time?
  

First Steps in How to Become a Pastry Chef

Here are a few things to do to get yourself ready for a career as a pastry chef:

• get a part time job in a local bakery (this will help you learn the job from the bottom up and see if you are a good fit before committing time and money to your schooling)
• find out if there any apprentice programs available from any local restaurants
• read all you can from pastry cookbooks (borrow from your local library, purchase from a bookstore)
• read real pastry chef biographies
• watch television shows depicting pastry chefs
• practice in your own kitchen (try making different pastries and experiment with different ingredients - feed your creations to your friends and family and ask for real feedback and honest criticism)
• consider taking a night class from a local rec center or school (one night class will not break the bank and it will help you discover if you are right for this career)
• research different culinary programs available in your area
• enroll in a culinary school program

What you will Learn in Pastry Chef School

There are several different areas of study that you will soon become engrossed in while learning how to become a pastry chef in a culinary school.

• how to produce baked goods (cake decorating, candy making, pastries, breads, pies, tarts, etc.)
• how to order supplies and ingredients
• how to plate and decorate desserts and pastries
• how to oversee and manage kitchen staff

The skills you will attain once you graduate from culinary school will mean that you have learned how to become a pastry chef. The satisfaction you will gain from your job is from the outcome of beautiful, creative and tasty desserts. What begins as an assortment of ingredients will soon become lovely pastries within a few hours. As a successful pastry chef you will have many repeat customers who will be happy with your creations and hopefully tell the friends as well. The smile on their faces, the "oohs" and "awwws" they exclaim, will be satisfaction in itself! Maybe someday, you will become popular enough to open your own bakery, host your own pastry chef t.v. show and / or write your own cookbook!