[Megnog]

I am soon to graduate from Western Culinary Institute in the culinary program. I have recently realized that what I really want to do pastry arts. I was an artist long before culinary school and I know that I have the skills and the artistic eye to be an amazing cake decorator. I'm also quite talented with pulled sugar.

It's rather easy to find what culinary schools in the country are considered the best, but I'm having a hard time finding out what is considered to be the best pastry program. I really want to find one that has a lot of the artistic side of it all. I mean, baking bread is fun, but I don't want it to be my career.

So basically, my questions are:

What schools are known for having the best pastry program?

At what school do you think you get the most bang for your buck? (I just dished out 38,000 to WCI, after all. I don't have a money tree.)

And what about the French pastry school in Chicago? The program looks interesting. I heard you don't get a degree, but I already have one, so that's not too big of a deal. Plus it's only 17,000. Would I learn all I need to know there?

Should I just forget school and try to learn it all by working?



Opinions? Links to good info?

[Clove]

Most pastry programs are going to cover a variety of topics. If you already know which area you would like to focus on, you may consider taking just a course in cakes or pulled sugar.
A former co-worker of mine took a week long sugar pulling course with Ewald Notter and loved it. He is one of the greats.
For cakes, there are many options. I believe Colette Peters teaches a cake class through the Ewald Notter school, but there are many great cake decorators that offer classes and you may do better paying just for the subjects you are most interested in. I loved my Baking & Pastry program, but it covered a lot and the time spent just on cakes and sugar was a small part of the time I spent there. Two or three specialty classes with great instructors will cost less than a full pastry program, but could give you more time on the subjects you are passionate about.

[AngeliaB]

why not just a course in cake deco?? Such as the ones done by wilton or most culinary schools will offer a side course in cake deco. I know my school did and it was taught by a lady named Toba Garrett if you google her you will find her web page and she is AWESOME with cakes and decorating lol She teaches Cake deco I, II, III, and wedding cakes and i believe they ran about 1500 per course. And each course ran for 5 days each if im not mistaken. So there may be someone in your area who teaches something like this.

hope this helps

[ducky]

I've heard great things about the French Pastry School in Chicago. Jacquey and Sebastien have been doing a one week hands on program the last couple of years at the World Pastry Forum www.worldpastryforum.com and I've had friends in the class the last two years so I've been able to go in and see what they've done and gotten to taste the things they've made and I've been really impressed. The people I know of that have done their full program have done very well for themselves after coming out. It would be my first choice if I had the money to do it.