school recommendations for an aspiring pastry chef???

[young_princess]

Hi everyone! I'm new to this forum and I'm really glad I found it. I've always wanted to go into either culinary or pastry school but I feel I would be better with pastry. I'm a total novice to this but I love food especially pastries. Can anyone recommend a really good pastry school in NYC? I want to be in a school that can offer as much technical and outside experience since pastry school tuitions are probably higher than my current university education, so I'd really like to get the most out of it. Also, how does the education system in this field work? This is probably a silly question but is it a 4yr degree course? I'd really appreciate any recs or advice you can give to someone who wants to be in this field. Thanks in advance (love this icon!)

[m brown]

ICE would be one and the French Culinary.
You can get a certificate, AAS and go on for BA.

(If you go to ICE, send my regards to Richard Simpson)

[young_princess]

thanks for replying. I was actually thinking of narrowing it down to those two. ICE seems to be more affordable but you finish your diploma(?) with the French Culinary faster(6 months). Do either of the schools have a better area in pastry? I mean is one better in cake decorating etc? What do you think of CIA? oh, and another silly question, can you officially be called a "chef" after receiving a diploma? thanks again

[chefpeon]

can you officially be called a "chef" after receiving a diploma?

NO!! Most certainly NOT.

[young_princess]

oh okay, sorry. So when are you eligible to be called a chef?

[jbd]

You are eligible to be called chef when you are in charge of people working in the kitchen or bakeshop. This generally comes with time and experience, which earns you a promotion to the position. Visit the ACF(American Culinary Federation) website and it will give you some idea of what is involved in the way of experience and knowledge as well as some minimum lengths of time require to be considered for certification as a sous chef, chef de cuisine, executive chef etc etc. There are specific certifications that apply to pastry chefs as well.

Outside of formal certifications there is a lot of gray area in the work world and often times the word chef is used or applied loosely. This is unfortunate as it takes away from the people who actually deserve to be called chef.

[chefpeon]

Outside of formal certifications there is a lot of gray area in the work world and often times the word chef is used or applied loosely. This is unfortunate as it takes away from the people who actually deserve to be called chef.

You're right about that! We who've earned our stripes can get sort of defensive about it too.

And young princess....you might want to click on the link to my blog.......I have just written something that probably should be read by everyone considering a foray into the culinary field. It's not easy, and frequently not fun. Everyone should educate themselves about what they're REALLY getting into, before they consider this industry!

[m brown]

Pastry school for an Associates degree would do well at either JWU or CIA.
JWU has the opportunity to go from Associates in pastry to a Masters degree in seveal related catagories.

What do you want?

There is no quick route to Chef.

You will need an education, years of earning your chops and then managing others, it's a long road.

What makes it worth it all? The food, folks and fun.

[young_princess]

I don't really know what I want exactly. All I know is I probably don't want to stay in my field forever coz it's not the most rewarding field for me. I'm in business school now and finishing up my bachelor's degree. It wasn't really my decision to go here, but my parents made a deal with me that I go to business school first then I can do what I want. I guess I want to dip my toe in this industry and see if it would be a fit. I guess as I'm exploring this industry, it feels like I would like to get into cake decorating more. So if I'm not really sure, but would like to get a good foundation, which school should I go to? JWU doesn't have a campus in NY so I don't think that's an option for me. I've read that ICE is better than CIA? is that true?

And with regards to being called a "chef" it was just out of curiosity so I hope I didn't offend anyone. If I do proceed with this career, I would love to open a lovely little pastry shop, so I guess we'll see how it progresses.

[jbd]

Originally Posted by young_princess

If I do proceed with this career, I would love to open a lovely little pastry shop, so I guess we'll see how it progresses.

In which case your business degree just might be very helpful.