Baking and Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry Chef

Do you like to bake? Are you addicted to cake making shows? A career in baking and pastry arts could be for you. Most future chefs take one of two paths: either culinary education, which is primarily making meals and cuisine, or baking and pastry arts, which deals with desserts, breads and breakfast goods.

The majority of students who major in baking and pastry arts move on to become chefs, bakers, candy makers and even restaurant or bakery owners. Education will teach everything from the basics of making dough rise to advanced level cake decorating and candy tempering.

While there are several colleges and universities that offer baking as a degree, most students attend culinary schools, such as Le Cordon Bleu or the Academy of Pastry Arts. Europe offers dozens of accredited culinary schools that are world-renowned and offer a slight advantage, especially when applying for post-grad work at restaurants and bakeries in the United States.