While I love cooking a great tasting meal or dish, I think I would really enjoy making a great tasting and amazing looking desert. I just stare at the beautiful cakes and baked goods behind the bakery case that are made by skilled pastry chefs. Wouldn’t it be great to learn how to make these at home? The following is an overview of pastry chef schools across the country that offer pastry classes for the recreational chef.
The Culinary Institute of America, in Hyde Park, NY, is a great cooking school. Besides professional training they have week long courses on specifics of baking, like fundamental baking, chocolates and confections, desserts and breads and modern plated desserts. This school would be a great place to learn at.
The Institute of Culinary Education has a large series of recreational courses for the non-professional, including, of course, pastry and baking classes. Some of the offering are: introduction to pastry and baking, techniques of bread, cake baking, pastry and chocolate. The prices for these vary, but there is something for everyone with most subjects having basic and advanced courses. The 2009 James Beard Foundation Outstanding Pastry Chef was an ICE alumni.
The San Francisco Baking Institute is another school that provides education opportunities to those who want to improve their skills but not be a pro chef. Their courses include: artisan baking, pastry, breakfast pastry and holiday pastry. The artisan baking and pastry program has three levels from basic to advanced. Most of these are 5 day courses.
Patty Cakes in Queens New York, a leading supplier of cake decorating equipment and candy making supplies has a variety of classes that are reasonably priced: cake decorating course, advance fondant, gumpaste flowers, airbrush techniques, Dominican Cake Decoration and Baking Course. Also on their website they information about Cake decorating guidelines.
Pastry is delicious and tasty!furthermore,it cud b done in a cluster of friends and even with family members!!!!!!
I am a professional cake decorating who will be the Show Coordinator for the upcoming, “Cupcake Competition for Bakers and Decorators” to be held in Beacon, NY on September 17, 2011. Classes will be held beginning on Friday, September 16, 2011. There is a category for competitors for those in the culinary pastry arts. Along with several tasting categories and decorating categories there is a category for a 3-tier, wedding cupcake cake where each tier must be in the shape of a cupcake. The prize for first place is $75.00 along with a gift. First, second and third places will be awarded as well as Best of Show (Decorative Division) and Grand Prize (Tasting Division). World class judges, teachers and demonstrators have already been selected. For information and forms, please go to the official website: http://www.shavkin.com By the way, back in the 1980′s I was a guest demonstrator for the pastry club at the CIA. Please feel free to contact me with any questions: 845-897-9562 I would love to have the students enter and/or attend.