So excited, yet still confused

[samtah]

Ok, i am so excited that I have finally made up my mind and decided that my future will be in culinary! After watching Food Network Mystery Challenge(they had to make sports themed cakes AWESOME) this weekend I'm conflicted...should I focus on becoming a Pastry chef, or can I do both, what schooling is required and do I even know what I am TALKING about!?
Also, I am moving 'home' to Columbus, GA and they have a new culinary program, anyone know anything about it?!
My plan: go to culinary school, and also work at a restaurant. Is this a good start?

[Blueicus]

I am a proponent of the philsophy of:

a) Go work first, then
b) Go to school.

I think there are a few advantages of it, first being most places may have an apprenticeship program that will lower costs of tuition while allowing you to earn money and earn valuable experience in the field and second being if you find that you don't like it after a few months you can still cut your losses with relatively few bruises.

As for what schooling you want to do and whatnot, I'll defer to more experienced posters.

[AngeliaB]

yeah go get a job in or around food for a bit and see if you can handle the high preasure of it all. If you decide you like it and you enjoy going to work everyday then go ahead with school. In choosing Culinary Arts or Pastry Arts... firstly when you cook...

1. What do you cook?
2. What types of food do you enjoy?
3. Can you see yourself doing what type of cooking 5 or even 10 yrs from now?
4. Last but not least... cooking IS HOT AND SWEATY AND SOMETIMES GRUELING WORK... but if you get a high and a satisfaction out of doing it and being around food.. then its for you.

hope that helps

[felixe the dog]

I don't want to hijack the thread, but culinary art?, pastry art? Wow! over here (Oz) it is still called cooking and baking. Why the posh names, is it so they can charge more for schooling?
We still have apprenticeships over here so I can't be of any constructive help - sorry. It just makes me smirk!

BTW, seriously now - good luck! Go get some weekend work and see how you like the industry, then decide what you want to do, I know "extreme sports cakes" sounds exciting but please stay grounded, it may be a while before you get the skills and reputation to approach this kind of work (and we just did a cake for 100pax as a defibrillator for a medical company!) Most work - while not boring or horrible, is more of the mundane and repetitious variety like piping 5000 macaroons, or spending hours rolling dough.

But it is still fun and beats an office job anyday!

[Greg]

Originally Posted by felixe the dog

I don't want to hijack the thread, but culinary art?, pastry art? Wow! over here (Oz) it is still called cooking and baking. Why the posh names, is it so they can charge more for schooling?

Something like that.

[samtah]

Thing is, I know about the cooking industry, I worked in a cafe during high school as a waitress and helped cook at times, I was still young then also I worked in a kitchen serving about 100-120 people breakfast lunch and dinner making it to head cook at the age of 18/19 (maybe i have a natural touch), of course now I've been away from it for awhile but I still have the passion for it and MISS it, I love the Kitchen, it is my favorite place in the world...any kitchen. So, I know I can handle it. Its just is it better to learn at school or just worldy experience.
i know its going to take me a long time to get like recognized and stuff-i could go to school for both??? i guess i will just have to take it one day at a time like the rest of life! its the best way really.
thank you all so much for your advice, it means alot and i appreciate it

[ADayInTheLife]

You sound so excited . That's great. I know at the school that I'm probably going to go to, you are required to take two Culinary classes if you're doing Pastry, and vice versa for the Culinary taking two in Pastry, so you may end up getting to learn a little of both. My suggestion would be to think about what you like to make the most. For me, it's obvious to myself that I like Pastry/Baking more. I do like to Cook, but not all the time and I'm not interested in a lot of the stuff like soups and stocks . Just go with what makes you happy .

[piracer]

i wish i had your optimism and thoughts. im not one who can handle this high pressure and all the shouting from the chefs just get to me and i cant handle it, just way to much.

im assuming as a baker, its not so bad tho, is it? considering you guys wake up at 5am and do your stuff before most other people come in, i guess its not as bad. well, gd luck, i need to quit my part-time job soon, getting really crappy.

[samtah]

Well, at times I think that working in a bakery would be more delightful seeing how people love sweet treats and cakes are usually for happy occassions, so you could really make these people happy, but slip up and i'm sure its like a double personality! So that is scary...my biggest dilemma now i'm sure is where to go to school....I want to live in the Georgia/Florida area. I've looked into the Art Institutes, and I am really attracted to that school, but I dont know much about it...anyone?? I'm thinking either the Atlanta, GA or Tampa, FL area....what are your opinions?