Hi,

I'm 18 and was wondering what you think is the best school for a Baking & Pastry program.

I was looking toward Sullivan's in Kentucky but would appreciate any input!!

Nikki

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Saturday, January 03, 2004 - 02:13 am: Edit

The Culinary Arts Program..at
Schoolcraft Community College
Livonia, Michigan.

Master Pastry Chef, Instuctor.
Master Ex. Chef, Director.
and one other of the instructor's is also a Master Certified, ( I think ).

I went there for my education. Back in 76-77"
they had two Master Chef's back then too.
Now they have a state of the art kitchen, with all the bells and whistles, and it's huge.
and beautiful, and clean, and set up pretty good.
and it's cheap compared to 98% of the other schools. Call them. Trust me.
IT ROCK'S !!!!!

By Andapanda (Andapanda) on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 08:52 pm: Edit

Info about Schoolcraft College:
http://cookingcareer.shawguides.com/SchoolcraftCollege/?ci=313.279485&pi=13&q=1 &
http://www.schoolcraft.edu/courses/core.asp?Dept=CBPA
They have 3 CMCs & 1 CMPC.

By Andapanda (Andapanda) on Wednesday, July 28, 2004 - 02:12 pm: Edit

Nikki:
A good source to check is The Guide to Cooking Schools by Dorlene Caplan, published annually by Shaw Guides or you can go to their website: http://www.cookingcareer.shawguides.com
You had asked for the "best" school for baking and pastry arts. The "best" school is the school that meets your needs, is affordable, and is practicable. Are you willing to relocate to attend school? A few years ago, I had entirely read The Guide to Cooking Schools. I had met a German Certified Master Chef(CMC)who had suggested that I consider going to France to study at (L')Ecole Superieure de Cuisine Francaise Group Ferrandi:
http://cookingcareer.shawguides.com/EcoleSuperieuredeCuisineFrancaiseGroupeFerrandi/
http://www.egf.ccip.fr/ENGLISH/index.htm
Another school to consider in France is Institut Paul Bocuse:
http://cookingcareer.shawguides.com/EcoledesArtsCulinairesetdelHotellerieEACHLyon/
http://www.each-lyon.com/
However, after much contemplation, I concluded that it was not practicable for me to study in France, so I reconsidered study in the U.S.A. Culinary programs in Europe are usually taught by colleges and universities. Private culinary schools are not as common in Europe as they are in the U.S.A. Perhaps some European pastry chefs could recommend some reputable vocational baking programs in Europe.
I had asked an elderly semi-retired Austrian pastry chef if it was necessary to study baking in France or Europe to have a decent education. He had replied that, "the French have done some interesting things with choux pastry, but the best pastry makers are the Austrians, of course! Well, the Swiss, Germans, and Scandinavians are also good pastry makers, but forget about the English! They have terrible food. It is not necessary to study in Europe. There are many good European chefs teaching here in America."
Contrary to popular misconception, creme brulee originated in England,
http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Creme%20brulee
and not in France as most people had assumed. The French chef Albert Roux had remarked on the Discovery Channel's Great Chefs television series that if you describe a menu item in French, then you can charge a little bit more! I wonder if Le Cirque 2000 http://www.lecirque.com/dessert.htm
could still charge $10 for their creme brulee if they simply described it as "burnt cream" in English?
Besides, what is going on when I hear of cooks making creme brulee filled cakes? How does one burn the sugar inside the cake? Excuse me for digressing and being facetious.
Le Cordon Bleu-Paris: http://cookingcareer.shawguides.com/LeCordonBleuParis/
was founded merely as a finishing school for wealthy young women. LCB-Ottawa: http://cookingcareer.shawguides.com/LeCordonBleuOttawa/
is the only real LCB school in North America. However, I do not recommend any LCB school nor affiliates.
Some people might suggest the following schools in the U.S.A.:
The Culinary Institute of America:
http://cookingcareer.shawguides.com/cia/
Johnson & Wales University:
http://cookingcareer.shawguides.com/JohnsonWalesUniversityCollegeofCulinaryArts/
French Pastry School:
http://cookingcareer.shawguides.com/FrenchPastrySchool/
California Culinary Academy:
http://cookingcareer.shawguides.com/californiaculinaryacademy/
Paul Smith's College: http://cookingcareer.shawguides.com/PaulSmithsCollegeSan Diego Culinary Institute:
http://cookingcareer.shawguides.com/SanDiegoCulinaryInstitute/At the risk of alienating everyone involved with private culinary schools, I am of the opinion that private culinary schools charge exorbitant tuitions. They exist to earn a profit--that is the bottom line. One might find community colleges to be more affordable.

By Andapanda (Andapanda) on Wednesday, July 28, 2004 - 02:22 pm: Edit

Nikki:
I had evaluated every community college vocational program in baking in the U.S.A. There are only 2 community colleges the entire country that have exemplary baking and pastry programs. The first one is Schoolcraft College:
http://cookingcareer.shawguides.com/SchoolcraftCollege/
They have 3 CMCs and 1 Certified Master Pastry Chef(CMPC) on their faculty. Schoolcraft College's curriculum tends to emphasize technical skills vis-a-vis Grand Rapids Community College(GRCC)'s curriculum which tends to emphasize management theories.
GRCC is the other community college which has 1 CMC and 1 CMPC. GRCC has the oldest and largest culinary arts program in Michigan. If you can relocate to Michigan, visit both schools to see which program suits your needs. Some of my peers have opined that it is better to acquire a solid background in management vis-a-vis technical skills. Employers are usually seeking candidates with good management potential. Technical skills can be developed on the job, but management theory is seldom taught at work. Unfortunately, one often sees poor management on a first hand basis at work. Perhaps that is why the Dilbert comic strip is so popular! No school will teach a student everything there is to know about a given subject. Practical experience comes with work experience. Likewise, a certificate in baking and pastry arts does not qualify one to be automatically promoted to the title of pastry chef anymore than successful completion of basic training or boot camp in the military qualify the recruit to be instantly promoted to the rank of general or admiral. The only job that I know of in which one starts at the top is a grave digger!;-D But seriously, excuse me for digressing. I recommend Schoolcraft College and GRCC. However, if it is impracticable for you to relocate to Michigan, then check The Guide to Cooking Schools or the website:
http://cookingcareer.shawguides.com/search?t=Kentucky
for the best vocational baking and pastry arts program at a community college in Kentucky. I am not familiar with Sullivan University, but I did peruse their website. If you have already decided to attend there, then study diligently, apply yourself, and you will succeed. Have you considered studying culinary arts first and then specializing in baking and pastry arts afterwards? If you have an A.S. in Culinary Arts and a certificate in Baking and Pastry Arts, your resume will then be more appealing to an employer than having merely a certificate in baking and pastry arts. Good luck

By Andapanda (Andapanda) on Thursday, July 29, 2004 - 11:44 am: Edit

A long time ago, when the Danish bakers went on strike, bakeries hired Austrian bakers to replace them. Danish pastries in Scandinavia are called, "Vienna bread(English translation)."

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Thursday, August 05, 2004 - 12:49 am: Edit

Holy crap Fung!!!!!!!
you can write boy................
and look things up too.

By Andapanda (Andapanda) on Thursday, August 05, 2004 - 12:39 pm: Edit

Chefspike:
Have we met before? Please e-mail off the forum.

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Friday, August 06, 2004 - 11:25 pm: Edit

Why ?

By Chefmanny (Chefmanny) on Saturday, August 07, 2004 - 09:27 am: Edit

He wants to know where to send the hit-person!

By Doucefrance (Doucefrance) on Saturday, August 07, 2004 - 11:20 am: Edit

Boy, did I miss that kind of humour!

By Chefmanny (Chefmanny) on Saturday, August 07, 2004 - 02:45 pm: Edit

Helene, how are you cherie????....long time; how are things in France???
How's business????....life????

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Sunday, August 08, 2004 - 01:10 pm: Edit

Helene !!!!.....ditto...hope your well, Cherie'.

did i offend Mr. Fung ?...or is it Mr. hip hop sing ?
Manny?, tell me.

By Chefmanny (Chefmanny) on Sunday, August 08, 2004 - 04:41 pm: Edit

Hip Hop Fung Sung Who?????...or What???

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Monday, August 09, 2004 - 12:11 am: Edit

he does do his homework.
it reads great!

By Doucefrance (Doucefrance) on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 10:43 am: Edit

Nice to be able to come back in the discussion now I have my afternoons off.
Business is good, I hired my first employee, and have some more time for this "wonderful" forum.
Perigueux is definitely the place to be, good food, good life, and next time I'll go to the US I'll let you know and I'll be most happy to teach you how to make this famous "pâté de Perigueux" with truffles and foie gras...start drooling!

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 01:26 pm: Edit

Helene,
how nice it is to hear how good things are for you. Good luck with that employee.
I would LOVE to have a piece of that Pate', maybe you could send some to Manny and me?
My girlfriend and me are planing a trip to Europe.
When?...don't know that yet.
Counties?...France, Italy, Belgium, to start, how could we be there and not stop by?
would love to see Perigueux, sit, relax, eat and visit.
please write more about what your doing and serving, my mouth is watering already!!!

By Chefmanny (Chefmanny) on Sunday, August 15, 2004 - 10:06 am: Edit

You're such a kiss as@ Spike, you'll do or say anything for a little pate de Perigueux!!!!!
I met those guys from Schoolcraft at the ACF convention, how the heck do they get so many CMC's there????...it's a great thing...I guess birds of a feather.............

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Sunday, August 15, 2004 - 12:11 pm: Edit

thats a good question Manny, I don't know if its pay or the new kitchen or just a good group of Chef's that enjoy working and teaching together.
I would hope its the last one.
but, they are new to me and i don't know any of them. My teachers retired long ago.
I hope the traditions and the level of excellence set by my teachers still hold true.
and you know, (because we've talked about this before)thats a disappearing value today.

By Chefmanny (Chefmanny) on Sunday, August 15, 2004 - 05:39 pm: Edit

They are all great dudes!