Qualify as a Pastry Chef at Prue Leith Chefs Academy

Most people love good food and many will go out of their way to enjoy different types of decadent, mouth-watering and colourful culinary creations.  Creating the perfect dish can be just as exciting as eating it and every day more and more passionate professionals create spectacular and memorable creations to enjoy. 

If you are somebody who enjoys the art of baking of any kind and in any form and would like to further your education in order to create a stable work environment, you should really consider doing a pâtisserie course with Prue Leith Chefs Academy! Completing the relevant pâtisserie course will qualify you as a pâtisserie or pastry chef.  These are the chefs who perfect the art of sweet delights and know just how to melt the hardest of hearts with their sweet flair.

There are number of subjects to cover during such a course and it can take from two to four years to qualify as a fully-fledged pâtisserie chef. Important additional subjects such as financial studies and recipe costing, kitchen management, and design are usually offered together with top of the range subjects in pâtisserie skills.  This ensures that the new chef is well rounded and balanced, improving employment possibilities.

The most popular courses start at basic or entry level, and usually include classical French training and modern techniques, sugar craft techniques, custards, creams and mousses as well as classic and contemporary pastries and biscuits. Once the basic skills are mastered, more intricate techniques such as chocolate piping, classical French entremets, hot and cold desserts, wine and food pairing, Petit Fours and chocolate production, entremets design and production, boulangerie techniques and artistic cooked sugar centrepieces are added in and “voila”, soon you will be able to create the best pieces of baked goods that money can buy.

All chefs who would like to qualify in the culinary field will have a basic pâtisserie course added into their studies.  Working with pastry is a very respected and important part of culinary tradition, and experience in this field it of utmost importance.  The cost of a pâtisserie course tends to vary between the different culinary schools, and it depends on how long and at what level you would like to study.

Some courses will award you with an advanced qualification like Cordon Bleu training schools and state-of-the-art French culinary schools.  These will cost more than a qualification from a general culinary school, although they are all designed to create well qualified chefs that will be able work in almost any kitchen.  Having even a basic pâtisserie course to your name could immediately qualify you for employment, and many aspiring chefs start working immediately after qualifying.  They may also work part time while gaining valuable experience while studying and earning.

There are many culinary training facilities all over the world, with some specialising in different aspects of food and others covering the entire spectrum dedicated to the art of cooking and baking.  Few, however, offer the prestige and good reputation of  Prue Leith Chefs Academy.  As far as high standards and well qualified chefs go, Prue Leith Chefs Academy is the preferred choice for a lot of employers, with many advertisements even stating “Prue Leith graduates only”.  This gives any graduate from Prue Leith a better chance of finding employment.

A pâtisserie course can be attended on a full- or part-time basis, depending on the constraints of time and budget.  Aspiring students are recommended to find a school that is affordable and offers high standards with good qualifications.  Usually student and employer reviews are available to allow the potential student to make an informed opinion of the relevant culinary institutes.

After completing a pâtisserie course, pastry chefs are paid according to their level of education and experience.  Qualified pastry chefs usually start on a relatively good salary (compared to other entry level kitchen jobs) as there is a lot of skill involved in their profession.  Salaries will improve as experience increases.  Many pastry chefs will eventually open their own bakery, restaurant or pastry shops and prefer to be self-employed with limitless potential.

Passion and consistency are determining factors when doing a pâtisserie course and the good chefs tend to have both of these – in addition to a good palate, a willingness to work long hours and a love of food are essential as well.  Cooking is definitely a career that can be challenging at times – it can get highly pressurised and standards tend to be very high.  However, being a pastry chef is a truly creative and very rewarding profession, not only financially, but in many other ways too.