Pastry Arts

What Will I Study for a Degree in Pastry Art?

ECC offers stackable certificates on the pathway to the Pastry Arts AAS degree. 

The first certificate in the series is Baker. You will participate in hands-on learning activities for accurate measuring and portioning. You will learn how to make a variety of pastries in Baking Fundamentals 1, including muffins, pies, tarts, yeast bread, and custards. Baking Fundamentals 2 will introduce you to puff pastry, mousse, cakes, petit fours, and cookies. In the yeast bread course, you will work exclusively with yeast doughs and explore various yeast products, including croissants, danish, brioche, and focaccia. You will also learn cooking techniques and be introduced to the hospitality industry. 

The second certificate is Bakery Supervisor. Students who have completed the above classes will also participate in hands-on learning in European-style tortes and petit gateaux. You will be introduced to Bavarians and Charlottes, building on your knowledge of mousse. You will learn the skill of tempering chocolate and use that skill to make chocolate bonbons and confections. You will also learn the skills to be a supervisor in the hospitality industry and complete a course on keeping food safe, for which you will earn an additional certificate, ServSafe Manager Certification. 

The Pastry Arts Degree will take you through each of those certificates. You will move through a course focusing on Advanced chocolates and bonbons, frozen desserts, entremets, and plated desserts. The capstone project for the course is a student showcase called Savour the Semester, where you put all your skills together in a dessert you will be proud of. You will also take a course that will prepare you for working in a pastry kitchen called Bakery Operations, where you will produce desserts for the Spartan Terrace Restaurant, Spartan To-Go, and some events. You will be able to see what you have learned in the production classes put into action in these classes. You will learn additional skills in hospitality management. 

There is also a separate certificate: Decorative Pastry. This certificate is not tied to the Pastry Arts Degree and is for students interested in cake decorating skills, including buttercream and rolled fondant cake techniques. Skills to make cake embellishments such as gum paste, wafer paper flowers, marzipan figurines, and table or buffet centerpieces made from chocolate and sugar. This certificate is designed to take your cake-decorating skills to the next level and help prepare you for a career as a cake decorator.

For more details on the curriculum, Please refer to the ECC Catalog.

What Careers Are Involved with Pastry Art?

A career in Pastry Arts offers creative and skilled professionals many opportunities. This field combines artistry with culinary techniques, leading to roles that involve crafting exquisite desserts and baked goods. Here are some career options within Pastry Arts:

• Executive Pastry Chef: Specializes in creating desserts, pastries, and confections in restaurants, hotels, or bakeries.The primary role as an Executive Pastry Chef is to oversee the pastry cooks, create and develop new recipes and dessert menus for larger operations.
• Baker or Specialty Baker: Focuses on accuate measuring and baking of bread, cakes, and other baked goods in bakeries or commercial pastry kitchens.
• Cake Decorator: Specializes in designing and decorating cakes for weddings and celebrations.
• Chocolatier or Confectioner: Precisely tempers chocolate for candies and sweet treats, working in candy shops or food production facilities.
• Pastry Sous Chef: Assists the pastry chef in managing kitchen operations, preparing desserts, and leading a pastry team.
  Bakery Merchandiser: Researches and uses packaging trends to market products. Promotes baked goods for special occasions and holidays. Uses cross-merchandising to promote multiple items. Utilizes social media presence to promote baked goods to boost sales and production.
• Food Stylist: Uses food styling techniques to create food photography which is used in magazines, social media, menus, websites, textbooks, and more. 

ECC also offers culinary and restaurant management certificates. In these certificates, you will learn technical skills in the classroom and industry-equipped labs to meet your workplace needs and career advancement goals.