Pastry School days

I switched careers at the age of 29. I went from being a Social Worker at Cuyahoga County Department of Children & Family Services, to becoming a college student at Johnson & Wales in Charlotte, NC in a new state knowing no one, but my dad’s friend from the FBI.

I had started to think about attending Pastry school after a friend of mine mentioned it to me at a party that I should make a career out of baking. I never thought I was a good baker. I was intimidated to try anything outside of the box. My mother baked with us growing up banana bread, an Easter bunny cake, Raisin Bran muffins (also called 6 week muffins), but my sweet tooth was intense and I crave sugar all day every day!

I baked from scratch as often as possible as a hobby, but was too nervous or unsure to try anything besides cookies, bar cookies, or cheesecakes. They were quick, easy and fairly difficult to mess up. I bought as many baking books as I could anywhere I could find them. Most books were $5 or less and recipes were ok.

I never made a pie until Pastry school, or pretty much anything besides banana bread, cupcakes, cookies and cheesecakes in muffin tins with vanilla wafers as a crust.

Pastry school was the beginning of learning about the science of baking (I HATED science as a kid), the different type of desserts, and a little bit of the safety and business side of baking- food costing, safety and sanitation etc.

My classes were from 7am to 1pm every day and took place in a large kitchen. We had a history lesson on each class, followed by a chef demo and then worked in teams of 3 to create the dessert that we just learned about. Classes were 21 day sessions and included topics like: Introduction to breads, Introduction to cakes, French Pastries, Plated Desserts, Baking Technology. We had “practicals” that were exams that required us to make our desserts on the spot as part of our testing along with a written test about the history and science of the baked goods.

I had a teacher on my 3rd day of school tell me I was not supposed to be there and that this was not meant for me. I was 29 and was not going to let her stop me. I knew I was right where I was supposed to be and kept on keeping on.

My favorite classes were breads and pretty much every class except for cakes. I have a lot of energy that has to be utilized in many ways and can barely hold still or steady when I try to do intricate work on cakes or cookies.

I volunteered to help with “Chef’s choice” classes on the weekends where anyone could sign up for a class and the teachers would teach the same things we learned in class to anyone that wanted to learn. It was definitely fun connecting with people that wanted to learn to bake that maybe did not love it enough to go to school, but found it fun to learn on the weekends and it helped me keep practicing and learning in a more relaxed environment.

I remember doing a cake for a practical and I was struggling to get done, minutes were going by quickly and I just started going faster and got even more focused. I knocked out a basket weave on a cake like nothing else mattered lol. My teacher was shocked at how quickly it came together after I had panicked trying to finish.

I received an Associates Degree in Baking & Pastry Arts a year later as part of Johnson & Wales University’s “Garnish your degree” program. This program allowed me to get a 2 year degree in 1 year, thanks to having already completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Kent State University.

I have learned to appreciate baking, the science of baking and have gravitated towards what I called “mini desserts” as my favorite kind of desserts to make and eat. I identify mini desserts as a way to explore my creativity more, and they make for a beautiful edible display on any table.

I love teaching my students and they truly make me smile every single class. They are patient, eager, joyful and I remember being that way in school. Now I get to be the teacher and the student. I am constantly learning as a Chef, Student, Teacher and lover of sweets.

I am glad I took a chance and was able to turn my hobby into a passion. It makes it so much more rewarding! Have you ever made a switch in your career or thought about it, but was too nervous to try it out?? I encourage you to take a step back and think about all the possibilities that could lie ahead. It might be the best thing you ever did:)

xoxo

Annie