Wannabe Pastry King

[TableBread]

Hello everyone, I have come across this site while searching for Pastry school advice. I live in Dallas where there are two main Chef schools. LCB and AI of Dallas. Although, I do believe that there is a cooking school in one of the colleges here but I am not for sure.

I am really interested in baking/pastry. I don't understand why there isn't more of a demand for that in this area (we do have more restaurants per capita than New York). I would be really interested in hearing from any current Pastry Chef's in Dallas right now.

So with that I say hello and I look forward to reading everyone's stories and getting some great advice.

OH! I guess I could add that I am 31 and currently work in the IT industry. (So this would be a career change for me)

[foodpump]

The majority of restaurants can't/won't hire a pastry chef because it just isn't profitable. To make all dessert items, doughs, breads, sauces and ice creams in-house is a heckuva commitment and a fairly expensive one too.

Like it or not, convienience products are here to stay and most places buy in the majority of the stuff. That being said, most places WILL make one or two signature desserts in house--creme brule, creme caramel, Tirimisu (with bought ladyfingers...) and these are usually done by the cold/salad guy.

[TableBread]

Originally Posted by foodpump

and these are usually done by the cold/salad guy.

If a restaurant makes the salad prep guy do all of these desserts then what's the point in becoming a pastry chef? There has to be a calling for them for there to be schools in this area giving that degree/certificate.

[foodpump]

The best, and most common piece of advice you're going to get is to work in the industry BEFORE you go to school. There you will find out what "the market" is like: What employers pay (never believe what a school recruiter tells you, kinda like believing a politician before an election...) what qualifications the employer is looking for, and if the name of the school makes a difference. I truly believe that these things should be found out firsthand by you, and not simply told to you.

School will produce a graduate of a pastry school, it will not produce a "Pastry Chef", somewhere in the formula experience factors in...

Hotels still usually have Pastry depts as well as Caterers and of course, bakeries and pastry shops. The most succesful pastry people who work in restaurants that do have a pastry position usually have a good background in cooking--many pieces of equipment must be shared and many things must be respected on both sides.

Hope this helps. Don't want to sound negative, but reality is very real....

[foodpump]

Sorry, forgot a few things.

About the schools. School is an important PART of the trade. With most employers you won't have the opportunity to learn ALL of the various techniques and methods, and no guarantee that what you are shown is correct either. A good school will provide this. On the job you will learn that multitasking is probably the best tool the baker has, and you will learn how to avoid and deal with stress. Neither the school nor the Employer can provide everything. How fast you can learn, how fast you can think and act or react, and how well you can apply what you've learned will dictate your success in this trade.


Once you make the finacial commitment for school do your homework, be a private detective and REALLY check them out. Compare the private schools to the Community colleges, talk to recent graduates. Once the money's spent on tuition, there's no going back. Private schools are a business enterprise and behave accordingly, look a little closer on this site and you'll see what I'm talking about.

[TableBread]

Foodpump - Thanks for the reply. It helps a lot!

Also, will a good school make me a TV star like Ace of Cakes? JJ!!!!!

I am just starting out on my research and I expect the next few months that I am digging for info to be an eye opener!

[Jim]

You may want to jump over to the Culinary Students forum to get some questions answered from current students. Good luck!