Chef Jobs And Training

Im a junior in high school and I have decided that I want to be a pastry chef when I get older. Im thinking about going to J&W culinary university , is this a good school choice and is it hard to get into? or Should I go to a real college first and then culinary school? Is there anything I can do right now to get practice? Can anyone who is a pastry chef tell me where they went to school/learned to be a pastry chef, about their job and what its like and, if they dont mind, how much they earn? What would the salary of a pastry chef be at a hotel? Thanks!!

I would look for a culinary program at a public college (probably a community college) in your state. Pastry chefs are in high demand in many cities and in places like resorts, and the employment outlook is food. Salaries vary widely, but entry level is above $25,000 a year and can go up to $100,000 for top chefs. Many also open their own businesses once they have a good reputation.

The major thing about a pastry chef is that usually (depending on the setting) have to get up really early–many start around 5 am or earlier (and that’s certainly true for new chefs). There’s a certain rote to the job, but when you move up you have more creativity in your position.

Certainly explore schools in your area, and double check any private schools–you don’t need to spend the money to get started. Find out where the school places graduates, and quiz them on their placement record.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 18th, 2010 at 10:18 pm and is filed under pastry chef jobs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.