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What is a Pastry Chef?
Pâtissier is French or Belgian Pastry Chef that has studied extensively in the field of baking. boulangerie </wiki/Boulangerie>, in French means baker. Both occupations take extensive training along with artistic and creative ability. Because baking is such a science becoming a pastry chef takes professional training and an understanding of how leavening and flour react to heat and other ingredients. Each coalescence of different ingredients has a chemical reaction depending on the combination used. So understanding the science behind the varieties of ingredients will help you have a solid background in becoming a great pastry chef.
Early hours starting at sometimes 3 to 4 in the morning is not unusual for a pastry chef. Standing on your feet for extended periods of time is also part of being a pastry chef. Being organized and artistically creative is also part of being a pastry chef. Serving a spectacular desert winning you accolades and praise is also part of being a pastry chef.
There are many avenues a pastry chef can take when adventuring out in this career. You may choose to work in a small town bakery or maybe in a large commercial bakery. Most large hotels have pastry chefs employed by them for there restaurant and many restaurants have there own pastry chefs. Cruise ships have pastry chefs along with test kitchens and opening your own bakery or catering business is always and option.
Long hours and repetitious work is commonly involved in pastry work. My daughter did her college internship for pastry at Disney World and would have to fill 4000 muffin cups each day for the park restaurants. So be prepared to expect tedious and monotonous tasks that every new pastry chef will have to handle. If creating hundreds of small flowers for a wedding cake doesn’t daunt you then pursuing a career as a pastry chef could be your calling.
Executive pastry chefs must be very organized and task orientated with good leadership skills. They must be able to delegate jobs and oversee that the job is being done well and exactly to his or her specifications. Most executive pastry chefs will be in charge of the desert portion of the menu. Creating deserts that compliment the main entrees along with appealing to the customer. In higher end restaurants the deserts will change along with the seasons and the availability of certain fruits during the year will delegate the deserts on the menu.
Being able to control all the aspects of running a kitchen from making the menus to making sure all the needed supplies are ordered will be just a small part of being and executive pastry chef. Creating your own recipe for a desert along with the design and presentation would all be expected of the executive pastry chef in a commercial kitchen. Your artistic abilities will be called upon when you have to decide what the desert should look like once it’s on the plate. Don’t forget it has to taste good too.
Keeping organized will be a necessary when it comes to your budget that is why a formal education would be a great benefit in trying to keep within your budget and accounting for your expenses. Not only would you be in charge of the costs of each desert but being able to break down how it will fit into your monthly budget.
There are many fields you can go into once you have your pastry chef degree depending on your interests. Chocolatier is one area you could focus on, producing delicious chocolates could become your area of expertise. Maybe really getting your hands dirty by becoming and Artesian Bread Baker. Understanding the chemical process of making bread and becoming and expert bread maker takes years of hands on learning. Hard candy or sugar art could be a field that could interest you. Being able to design large beautiful sugar sculptures might be right up your alley.
Many more fields of expertise branch off from being a pastry chef maybe you would like to go in to the tests kitchens or a food writer. What ever field you think fits your personality and interests you can be sure that being a pastry chef is a fulfilling and rewarding career choice.
Pâtissier is French or Belgian Pastry Chef that has studied extensively in the field of baking. boulangerie </wiki/Boulangerie>, in French means baker. Both occupations take extensive training along with artistic and creative ability. Because baking is such a science becoming a pastry chef takes professional training and an understanding of how leavening and flour react to heat and other ingredients. Each coalescence of different ingredients has a chemical reaction depending on the combination used. So understanding the science behind the varieties of ingredients will help you have a solid background in becoming a great pastry chef.
Early hours starting at sometimes 3 to 4 in the morning is not unusual for a pastry chef. Standing on your feet for extended periods of time is also part of being a pastry chef. Being organized and artistically creative is also part of being a pastry chef. Serving a spectacular desert winning you accolades and praise is also part of being a pastry chef.
There are many avenues a pastry chef can take when adventuring out in this career. You may choose to work in a small town bakery or maybe in a large commercial bakery. Most large hotels have pastry chefs employed by them for there restaurant and many restaurants have there own pastry chefs. Cruise ships have pastry chefs along with test kitchens and opening your own bakery or catering business is always and option.
Long hours and repetitious work is commonly involved in pastry work. My daughter did her college internship for pastry at Disney World and would have to fill 4000 muffin cups each day for the park restaurants. So be prepared to expect tedious and monotonous tasks that every new pastry chef will have to handle. If creating hundreds of small flowers for a wedding cake doesn’t daunt you then pursuing a career as a pastry chef could be your calling.
Executive pastry chefs must be very organized and task orientated with good leadership skills. They must be able to delegate jobs and oversee that the job is being done well and exactly to his or her specifications. Most executive pastry chefs will be in charge of the desert portion of the menu. Creating deserts that compliment the main entrees along with appealing to the customer. In higher end restaurants the deserts will change along with the seasons and the availability of certain fruits during the year will delegate the deserts on the menu.
Being able to control all the aspects of running a kitchen from making the menus to making sure all the needed supplies are ordered will be just a small part of being and executive pastry chef. Creating your own recipe for a desert along with the design and presentation would all be expected of the executive pastry chef in a commercial kitchen. Your artistic abilities will be called upon when you have to decide what the desert should look like once it’s on the plate. Don’t forget it has to taste good too.
Keeping organized will be a necessary when it comes to your budget that is why a formal education would be a great benefit in trying to keep within your budget and accounting for your expenses. Not only would you be in charge of the costs of each desert but being able to break down how it will fit into your monthly budget.
There are many fields you can go into once you have your pastry chef degree depending on your interests. Chocolatier is one area you could focus on, producing delicious chocolates could become your area of expertise. Maybe really getting your hands dirty by becoming and Artesian Bread Baker. Understanding the chemical process of making bread and becoming and expert bread maker takes years of hands on learning. Hard candy or sugar art could be a field that could interest you. Being able to design large beautiful sugar sculptures might be right up your alley.
Many more fields of expertise branch off from being a pastry chef maybe you would like to go in to the tests kitchens or a food writer. What ever field you think fits your personality and interests you can be sure that being a pastry chef is a fulfilling and rewarding career choice.
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