Pastry Chef

1. Pastry Chef -a professional cook specializing in desserts and sweet bakedgoods

2. Training and Education Requirements: • Most chefs complete some form of postsecondary training. • Chefs may gain instruction through employer-sponsored, on-the-job training. • Formal training may also be obtained through certificate or degree programs available at culinary institutes, community colleges, technical schools and 4-year universities. • Chefs may also enter the profession through apprenticeship programs.

3. Training and Education Requirements: Education • There are no strict education requirements for a career in dessert and pastry culinary arts. But culinary school education is highly desired. A pastry education combines theory and practical education. Most programs require students to work in a student-run public bakery or restaurant to hone their skills and gain industry experience.

4. Training and Education Requirements: Formal Training Program • 2-year degree culinary arts training programs , such as Associate of Applied Science in Baking and Pastry Arts programs, are taken by students wanting the technical and practical skills necessary for careers in the pastry arts. The students receive classroom and in-kitchen instruction. Courses may include: • Baking fundamentals • Nutrition • Cake design • Chocolate arts • Confectionaries • Specialty cakes • Plated desserts • Sanitation and safety • Culinary management

5. Training and Education Requirements: Apprenticeship • Culinary associations train aspiring chefs in dessert and pastry arts through apprenticeship programs such as American Culinary Federation (ACF). These programs last 2-3 years and provide paid, on-the-job instruction under the supervision of certified chefs. Apprentices are also required to complete 12 formal courses in culinary subjects, such as food safety, nutrition and management. Completion of apprenticeship programs may result in professional credentials or associate's degrees.

6. Prospects for Jobs in the Future •  There will be Pastry Chef jobs in the future. If you really think about it, everyone needs to have the ability to cook. But an average person cannot do the type of specialized baking needed like that of pastry chef. In this case, higher training is needed. With the food industry going like it's going there will be a lot of job opportunities as a Pastry Chef in the future. The food industry is booming right now and all types of chefs will soon be in high demand. • Pastry chefs can find work in a diverse array of kitchen and culinary environments including: small and large standalone restaurants, bistros, hotels, convention centers, resorts and spas, cruises, casinos, and as personal chefs, and even in the White House.

7. Salary Range • According to the Department of Labor and Statistics, a pastry chef could earn a salary of a minimum of $8 and a maximum of $30 per hour. For the pastry chefs who work outside of the metropolitan areas, the salaries lean toward the smaller range at $10 to $15 per hour while a pastry chef who works in a metropolitan region easily gains a salary at $15 to $28 an hour. This actually means that the pastry chefs are considered as executive level staff gaining annual salaries of $45,000 up to $68,000. Pastry chef salaries are increased by an hourly tip which could range from $0.30 up to $1.50.

8. Pros and Cons to being a Pastry Chef Positive- • Pastry chefs usually get to carry out their work with a level of creative expression that can be rare among other professions. • The work is not as fast-paced or rushed as many other food preparation roles, as many components of the desserts and pastries are made in advance. • You are passionate about your work… You get to do what you love.

9. Pros and Cons to being a Pastry Chef Negatives • Some pastry chefs have trouble adjusting to the long hours that are involved in this line of work. In bakeries, this usually entails arriving at the pre-dawn hours (like 2:30a.m.) to begin the preparation of the morning goods. In restaurants, pastry chefs often work demanding 12-14 hour shifts that can stretch late into the night. • Pastry Chefs start off at very low wages ($8 per hour).