Why Is Pastry Chef Certification Important?
If you are thinking about opening a small bakery or starting an online pastry shop, you might be asking yourself: Do I need a pastry chef certification? While getting a formal education is not a strict necessity, a certificate has many advantages that can launch your career and ensure you succeed. Please read on to learn more about the importance of pastry certification and the benefits that come with it.
Why You Need to Get Formal Training
The world of baking is full of small details and technicalities. The secret to delicious cookies and other baked goods is not only in the ingredients but the skills of the chefs and the minor details they pay attention to in perfecting their craft. You need to learn these skills and techniques if you are serious about baking. The question is if you will master them with the help of certified teachers, or from blog posts and trial and error.
If you decide to learn by yourself, you have to count on your dedication and commitment, which can be harder than it sounds without a well-educated tutor to guide you. You may think that you will dedicate all your free time to learning these techniques, but you will probably need someone to push and motivate you.
Learning by yourself can also be very risky and time-consuming. Many of the available tutorials are not created by expert pastry chefs, and not all of them give you the correct information. It is also tricky to know where to start and where to go from there. On the other hand, a curriculum created by trained professionals is laid out in such a way to make the most of your time and give you the correct information so you can become a successful pastry chef.
Benefits of Getting a Pastry Certification
Learning accurate techniques in a time-efficient manner is not the only perk of attending a formal pastry course. You do not have to go to the top culinary schools in the world to get a certificate. A credible local school will do the job and give you a pastry chef certification that has numerous benefits. Let’s look at some of these benefits.
Learn All the Skills You Need
Formal training and pastry certification will give you a more expansive skill set and prepare you thoroughly for your future business. Some of the topics you can expect to learn in most pastry programs include:
- Nutrition
- Food safety and sanitation
- Food preparation fundamentals
- Baking techniques like laminated doughs, cookies, pies, and custards
- Cake baking and decoration
- Plating and pastry arts
- Culinary management
Learn the Science Behind the Techniques and Build Good Habits
Pastry schools not only teach you the necessary techniques but the scientific reasons behind them. Once you learn why you have to rest your dough for a certain period, mix specific ingredients, or bake at a particular temperature, you are less likely to make a mistake. Even if something goes wrong and the result does not turn out as you expected, you can use your knowledge and find the source of the problem to prevent it from happening in the future. Applying what you learn correctly under the supervision of instructors will also lead to you building good habits that you will practice for the rest of your culinary career.
Start Your Career on the Right Foot
Starting in the baking business does not require you to have a pastry certification. However, if you are a beginner and plan on getting employed, it will be harder for you to do so without something to show to prove your knowledge. A pastry certificate can go a long way toward making your chef’s resume shine. It can set you up for success by proving to the employers that you have the necessary basic skills and discipline to thrive in this business.
A pastry chef certificate is beneficial even if you plan to start your own business. It can show potential investors that you know what you are doing and can grow a successful business.
Start With Connections
One of the best advantages of getting a pastry certificate is the people you meet during your program. Your fellow, like-minded classmates can help you on your journey to getting a degree and even play a role in your future success as a pastry chef. Your instructors, who will most likely be professional chefs, can become lifetime friends and mentor you whenever you need help. Therefore, attending a course will give you more than just an education. It will help you build strong relationships with pastry enthusiasts in the industry and grant you access to other chefs which can be beneficial throughout your career.
Additional Certifications You Must Have to Start Your Pastry Business
A pastry diploma is not the only certification you need for opening your baking business. There are other safety-related certifications you must have to be able to run your business legally and avoid being shut down. Here are two of them.
Food Safety Certification
You must obtain a food safety certification before you open your bakery. To receive this certification, you must attend a course on general safety practices, foodborne diseases, proper storage techniques, and ingredients and equipment handling. After completing the course, you have to pass the qualifying exam to prove you are ready to run your own business safely. Without this certification, you put the lives of your customers and the overall success of your shop at risk.
Bakery Site Inspection
Getting a certificate from the Department of Health for the site of your pastry shop is also a necessary step before you start baking. Health inspectors must check the physical place where you plan on setting up shop, storing ingredients, and baking to ensure they comply with safety regulations and are at the minimum risk of spreading foodborne illnesses. If you start a baking business without this certificate, authorities will shut you down immediately.
Get Pastry-certified for a Successful Career!
Pastry chefs have thrived with and without certifications, but getting one can be a great addition to your resume. It can give you the credibility and knowledge to run a successful pastry shop. So take the first step toward obtaining a pastry certification today and ensure your long-term success!
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