Pastry Chef & Baking Schools

By Publisher
| Last Updated March 10, 2022

Start gaining true mastery at what you already enjoy.

Pastry arts and baking schools know how to help you grow your emerging talent for crafting delectable bread and desserts. These schools could teach you everything required to begin the journey you've been craving. And they can provide your training in a format that simulates real professional kitchen and bakery environments.

Ask yourself: What will you do with your newfound expertise? Perhaps you'll advance the craft of artisan bread-making. Maybe you'll become the go-to person in your community for appetizing cakes, cookies, custards, pies, and other delicious and comforting treats. Or you could push your creativity to new heights as someone who excels at building dazzling centerpieces made of sugar, chocolate, and other confectionery goodness.

It's a tantalizing prospect. After all, people love digging into the same kinds of delights that you enjoy making. So you might as well learn proven techniques that allow you to create them at a level that can really impress.

Find a Culinary School Near You Please enter a valid postal code.

Fun Facts Related to the Baking and Pastry Arts Field

Assorted gourmet donuts with various toppings including sprinkles, nuts, chocolate icing, and marshmallows on a white background. Enjoyment is the primary reason people choose to build careers in this area of the culinary arts. And it's pretty easy to understand why. What could be better than getting to taste mouthwatering treats straight out of the oven or smelling sweet aromas every day?

Making that happen requires enthusiasm and dedication. But the path to getting there is pretty straightforward. For instance, did you know that you can start as a true beginner and still be ready to assist in a commercial kitchen within only about a year?

The required schooling is generally relatively short. Then, you can make money as an apprentice baker or pastry cook for the rest of your training. Each province is slightly different, but you generally only need to complete a short apprenticeship to qualify for certification.

Once certified by your province, you can take the Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Exam for bakers and earn an endorsement that gives you full mobility between Canadian provinces. The benefits of having a Red Seal endorsement are truly worth keeping in mind.

Imagine where you might work as a fully qualified baker or pastry chef:

Independent or in-store bakeries
Pastry shops and patisseries
Fine restaurants
Catering companies
Hotels and resorts

You could even start your own pastry business one day.

Canadian Treat Consumption By the Numbers

Who can resist expert baking or sweet delights? Not people in this country. Take a look at just a few revealing stats:

According to the Baking Association of Canada, in 2016, Canada's whole baking industry was worth over $8 billion.
Stats Canada stated that in 2014, the average Canadian household spent $562 just on baked goods from stores.
In a 2015 survey conducted by the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA), they found the amount of chocolate consumed per person each year in Canada equals about 5.5 kilograms (just over 12 pounds).

Find a School Near You Please enter a valid postal code.

Dessert Trends in Canada

Classic desserts will probably always remain popular. But Canadians enjoy trying new things as they seek memorable end-of-meal experiences. For instance, in 2015, the biggest trends in restaurant desserts included:

Deconstructed classic desserts
Sweet and salty desserts
Salted caramel
Bite-size / mini desserts
Artisan / house-made ice cream

And guess what's projected to rise in popularity in the near future? Things like:

Bite-size / mini desserts
Desserts made from vegetables (e.g., fennel panna cotta, avocado mousse)
Traditional ethnic desserts (e.g., delimanjoo, flan, qatayef)
Sweet and salty desserts
Artisan / house-made ice cream

By the way, two fascinating examples of those hot up-and-coming ethnic desserts include:

Qatayef—A traditional Arab treat that is like a sweet, fried dumpling with a creamy or nutty filling
Delimanjoof—A bite-sized sponge cake from South Korea, shaped like an ear of corn, that has a filling of creamy custard and the flavour of a Twinkie fresh from the oven

Find a Vocational School