# Pastry as a career change. How much artistic ability?



## magpie (May 12, 2005)

I have gone back and forth in my mind for many years (since highshool) about whether or not to go into culinary arts. I have a BS degree in Business and am 30 years old. I have finally decided that I would love to be a pastry chef or baker once and for all. I have never worked in a bakery but have worked in restaurants. I do not plan on rushing into anything...this would be a very gradual career change for me. I have two questions I am hoping to have answered. 

1. How much artistic ability does a pastry chef need to have? I for one see myself as creative...but not necesarily artistic (for example I Can not draw, paint or sculpt for the life of me!) It's very daunting for me to watch the cake decorating competitions on food network because I am not sure if I could ever create something so beautiful due to my lack of natural artistic ability. Is alot of pastry/cake decorating etc something that could be learned as long as someone gives it enough practice and has a passion for it??

2. I am thinking that I could possibly work in a bakery part time and at another career part time (possibly something in the medical field because that seems to pay well). I make pretty good money now working in an office environment and don't think I could afford to make minimum wage at a bakery full time at this point in my life... so thought it might be good to do 2 careers part time instead of 1 full time career. Does anyone have experience doing this or is pastry something that would need a full time committment?

Thanks for any help!


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## jbd (Mar 17, 2008)

Like most people you can probably draw, paint and sculpt better than you think you can. You just haven't let it happen through practice in those areas.

You shouldn't really be concerning yourself with the competitions you see on TV at this point. It creates an absolutely unreal expectation in your mind. Pretty much all of the routine decorating done by pastry chef and bakers is fairly easy to learn if you have the willingness to practice the techniques.

For cake decorating, many craft and hobby stores teach the Wilton method of cake decorating. Such a course would give you a taste of what some of the common techniques are.


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## m brown (May 29, 1999)

You should trail at a bakery or restaurant to see if this is really what you want to do.

Artistic ability comes as you work with the medium. You may be more rustic or more classical in your designs. 

You won't know unless you try. 

Don't quit your day job until you have a fully baked plan.


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## magpie (May 12, 2005)

HA HA you're cute! :lol:

I would like to work in a bakery part time before I make any decisions. Just need to find someplace...


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## qos (Jun 26, 2008)

I love cake decorating. I am not a pastry chef by any means; I would like to be a better cake baker of course!

If you are interested in making cakes professionally such as wedding cakes, take the Wilton courses or whatever beginner classes you can take. So much of the artistry you see comes from the flowers, cutters and molds. I have tons of them. 

I don't know where you are but join ICES (International Cake Exploriation Society) and a local cake club and go to what cakers call "Days of Sharing". There you will see demo's of cake skills ranging from beginner to advanced. Usually there are classes attached to the DOS with some of the top cake decorators in the world. I have taken classes from Colette Peters, Eleonor Rielander, Jill Maythem, Debbie Brown, Maisee Parrish, and Jennifer Dontz . They are are all world class decorators. There is also the ICES convention in Orlando, Florida this July. I am demonstrating there myself. I am very excited about it. At the convention, there are the top decorators in the industry, vendors selling the latest and greatest, and demonstrations to learn new techniques.

You do not have to be a pastry chef to be a cake decorator. I make pretty good money doing this. I love it and have a real passion for it. 

One of the top decorators in the world is Bronwen Weber. If you watch the cake competitions on the Food Network you have seen Bronwen. She is also a pastry chef. Bronwen mostly does cake though - not pastry.


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## rayjam (Aug 3, 2008)

Baking is a science and an EXACT dicipline.

Cake decorating is an art.


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