Careers: How do I become a Pastry Chef?

So, you’ve been watching episode after episode of The Cake Boss, or Charley’s Bakery…and you love all of the cakes, pastries and desserts that you see every time you switch the telly on. Perhaps it’s sparked your interest in a career that involves plenty of cake, sugar and all things sweet. We’re sharing our insights into the world of the Pastry Chef and we would love to answer any questions you may have in the comments section at the end – so don’t be shy!

What does a Pastry Chef do?

A pastry chef or pâtissier is a chef who works in a professional kitchen or usually within the kitchen brigade, and is skilled in the making of pastries, cakes, desserts, breads and other sweet or savoury baked goods. Most pastry chefs work in large hotels, restaurants, bakeries or bistros. The Pastry chef may be responsible for testing, tasting and developing new recipes for desserts and pastries, menu planning, sanitation and food safety, admin duties, budgeting, purchasing of fresh fruits and other fresh goods or supervising other staff/chefs in the kitchen.

What skills do you need to be a Pastry Chef?

Firstly, a solid education and practical experience is the right way to go – we’ll explain how in the next section. Then, these skills are ideal for those who wish to get ahead in the world of pastry delights:

• The ability to be inventive and creative
• Being able to think outside the box and create interesting recipes that are your own
• Be able to pay attention to detail
• You need to be able to do a number of things at the same time without losing your focus
• You need to be able to watch and learn from others and keep improving your own skills over the years.

How do I get going?

The International Hotel School’s one year Culinary Arts programme is the perfect place to start. It covers all of the basics that any pastry chef or indeed, any chef would need in order to pursue a career in the Culinary Arts. Moving on from this programme, students have an option to do an additional second year in the Patisserie Programme (which is just 6 months) and upon successful completion of this programme, graduates will receive: The City & Guilds Diploma in Food Preparation and Cooking (Patisserie)

This exciting Patisserie programme provides students with the knowledge and experience to move effortlessly between the most basic puff pastry to complex plated desserts. Covered in this programme are: cake baking, decorative cake icing, desserts and basic bread making. The programme structure includes theory and practical cookery lessons, with 10 weeks spent in bakeries, restaurant or hotel patisserie kitchens gaining knowledge and work integrated experience from industry experts.

What is Work Integrated Learning and why is it important to becoming a Pastry Chef?

Practical industry experience is a vital part of the knowledge and skills you need to become a world class Hospitality or Culinary Professional.  Our Work Integrated Learning (practical) which takes place at leading hospitality establishments is what sets us apart from our competitors.  When students leave the programme, they are job ready and the dream of being a pastry chef is ready to turn into a reality.

For further information on this programme, download the Programme Information Sheet. If you’re keen to start your journey to a rewarding Pastry Chef career, don’t hesitate, APPLY NOW!