French Pastry School, Chicago ..or France?

Lcb

Hi everyone, I was going to  start my culinary program  at Kendall College Chicago untill my executive sous chef asked me not to he told me to check the French Pastry School first I just viisited their website today and I really Love it ... so I'm thinking about joinging :D ...

P.S : I'm still going for the tour and check the wedding pieces of the FPS to compare them to those at kendall ( I loved them when I visited )...

I wish a good luck to all of you ...

Myriam :D

I urgently need some advice on pastry schools I have seen earlier posts on the French Pastry School and Kendal but no conclusions, if you went to either would you recommend either to a family member? and what about the NY schools has anyone been to one. PLEASE PLEASE your advice would be invaluable.

Many thanks Joy

Hi Joy,

Can you tell me more what your looking to do? Your title says owner operator so what business are you currently running that would benefit from pastry school? It is a sizable investment and time commitment and I think you could get the same training working for a good restaurant and pastry chef. The one in NY is going to cost even more because of the housing issue so that is definitely something to figure into your cost.

Dear Eda and others considering culinary schools.

Please, please, pretty please with a cherry on top, work first in the industry  before you plunk our money down for a school. 

It doesn't matter what kind of a job, supermarket bake-off or M & P muffin shop, but please work at least 6 mths.

I kid you not, cooking and baking is a manual trade, and because there are so many restaurants and bakeries around,  people have very little respect for them.  This translates into lousy salaries

I also have to inform you that in the U.S., there is no standard as towhat a cook or pastry cook should know or be capable of.  This fact is exploited by many culinary schools and is reflected in their curicculae. Since there are no standards, there are no standards for pay scales.

So please work in the industry for a while before you spend big money on a school.  

Thanks for the prompt response, I currently run my own at home bakery business catering deserts for small parties, individuals etc but I want to take it to the next level with wedding cakes proffessional finishes etc I'm just not where I want to be yet, so I've been thinking about pastry school........any suggestions??

Pastry Chefs were in great demand a few years ago and it was hard to find a good one at least here in Florida . Therefore companies such as ""Sweet Street ""started making excellent cakes,pies and pastries for sale to food service facilities.  I have used them and some are excellent. Cheaper then hiring pastry chef too. Schools may help BUT you have to have it in the hands(artistic qualities) there is a vast difference between a pastry chef and a baker.

I am living in France and have worked for over 8 years in two culinary and pastry schools. I agree with what foodpump says. If you are considering a career change, try to get a job in the food industry for at least six months. It is hard physical work and not as glamorous as some would think. A nice hobby isn't necessarily a great job.

Once you have decided to go for it, here are a few things that you may want to research:

• How many hands on hours in the kitchen will you actually do in the kitchen. This varies GREATLY from school to school. Some schools do mostly demos in amphitheaters and the students don't touch much dough ! Other schools focus on hands on. This makes a great difference.
• How many students in a class?
• Will you be working alone or in pairs or in groups of four.? In some schools, one students make the pie shell, the other makes the filling etc.  Ideally you want to make the whole production from A to Z. Of course, some things like watching the cream whip in a mixer can be done in pairs, but you want to do as much as possible by yourself.
• Does the school arrange an internship at a reputable pastry shop at the end of the program? This is more common in Europe. Where do the students go? For how long. Remember, in an internship it takes at least 4 to 6 weeks for your hosting company to get to know you and to trust you with any responsibility. It will take you that long to get to know their way of doing things too. An internship of at least three months is ideal.  They aren't well paid either...... Can you live during this time with little income?
• In France, all the schools use excellent ingredients. I imagine the same is true elsewhere.
• Are there any theory classes in food science? Hygiene and security etc?  Pastry science is particularly helpful. If you understand intellectually how something works, you can tweek the recipe when it doesn't work in your environment. This is important if you are going to work in another country where the ingredients aren't the same or if the environment is more humid etc.

Choosing a school is a huge investment. Check out all of your options. Don't worry about age. Some of the best students are older and  come from very intellectual fields such as finance, marketing etc. IT may take you a while to acquire good eye hand coordination. At first you may think you have two left hands and wonder why they don't do what you want them to. Just be patient :-)