Is there a school that if I got into pastry arts I will be doing pastry instead of culinary...

I think you will find that the bigger schools will run the gamut on culinary exposure, especially if you are going for a degree. Have you considered a Baking & Pastry program at a community college? Or maybe a certificate program versus a degree?

I can tell you right now the program at my school has a Bakery Production class, its all bakery, including breads, not just cakes and pastries, and after just two classes I knew I had to switch majors to culinary and get out of premed.. You should definitely check your Community College. There aren't really degrees in being a pastry chef its just a specialty in most places, your real world experience will get you to pastry chef more so than a program.

FWIW in my bakery class we do have to do some culinary like cooking custard and prepping fruit, everything is by hand nothing canned and no premade anything. My 2nd week of class I made Prusciuotto bread, and it was amazing!

AshleyNicole:

Check Shaw Guides. The best Community College Baking and Pastry Arts program in the USA is at GRCC. Gilles Renusson is the Pastry Instructor.

See: Cooking School interview.

Schoolcraft College has the 2nd-best Community College Baking and Pastry Arts program in the USA. CMPC, Joseph Decker is the Pastry Instructor.

It is always good to have a well-rounded education. You would be more valuable to an employer. There are fewer and fewer jobs for pastry chefs, pastry cooks, bakers, as many restaurants simply order their desserts from a purveyor, or bakery, and have some cook plate the dessert. Therefore, the more skills you possess, the better chance you have of not being laid-off when the slow-season arrives, or when management must reduce their Labor Costs.

I had studied Baking and Pastry Arts, after I had already studied: Hotel Management, Restaurant Management, Culinary Arts, and not to mention, Industrial Arts. Learn all that you can, and do not limit the scope of your education. The job-market is extremely competitive, and the more marketable your job-skills are, the better chance you have of getting and keeping the job instead of seeing someone else be hired instead of you. Keep an open mind. Read all the books that you can, ask questions, visit several schools. Check out: Notter School of Pastry Arts, and French Pastry School.

Read: So You Wanna Be a Chef. Good luck. Take care.

AshleyNicole,

There are hundreds of options out there for you so let's start with where you live and where you have attended culinary school already. That's important. Also, do you have any work experience yet? If so, what have you done?