Natural Flair: The Pastry Chef's Career
By Glen TaylorTo be a pastry chef you need a combination of skills, some may come to you naturally while others have to be learned. You may have an inborn passion for the craft, but you will need the right education in pastry making to put that passion into practice.
A really successful pastry chef doesn't regard his work as just a job; for the committed pastry chef work is a creative outlet, a satisfying medium in which to use the wide variety of skills required to do the job well.
What Does A Pastry Chef's Job Involve?
Pastry chefs are employed in lots of different businesses, e.g. producing desserts in a large hotel, making cakes for a cafe or decorating wedding cakes. The exact nature of the job will change depending on the environment, but the essential tasks will be similar, e.g.
- Making cakes, pastries and desserts
- Assembling and decorating pastry products using different kinds of fillings, toppings and icings.
- Inventing new products
- Working with sugar and chocolate
Some pastry chefs also carry out managerial tasks such as:
- Supervising other staff
- Training
- Menu planning
- Budgeting and purchasing
What Sort of Education Does a Pastry Chef Need?
You could have all the passion for pastries in the world, but without the right kind of education in pastry making you won't be able to turn your vision into reality. Being a successful chef needs creative flair, but a scientific education is particularly important for the pastry chef -- you need it to make sure your mixes are in the right proportions and that you are cooking at the right temperature.
To get the education you need to be a successful pastry chef, look for a baking and pastry program at culinary school, or take a more generalized culinary arts qualification and then specialize in pastry making.
Sources
About the AuthorGlen R. Taylor served in the U.S. Army from 1994 to 2007. He has been both an enlisted man and an officer, and has worked in military intelligence and armor. He holds a B.A. in Psychology from Chaminade University of Honolulu. He is a published fiction author, and has been writing freelance material since 2007.
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