This week I started my classes at my baking and pastry program and it couldn’t have been better. I’ve been waiting for this for many years and I couldn’t be happier about life right now. Wondering what this past week has been like? Read on to learn about my baking and pastry program! My School and Program Before I get into the nitty gritty, I’ll tell you a little bit about my school and my program. Ferrandi – Paris is a very highly respected culinary school all throughout the world but especially in France. Ferrandi has been described as the Hogwarts of culinary schools. It’s been around for about 100 years and has 3 campuses in France. All of the chef instructors in my program have trained and worked for at least 20 years in the field in various settings (hotels, fine dining, small pastry shops, etc). In total, this year there are about 50 students in the international intensive program. The international intensive program is 5 months of training with approximately 80% of the time spent working (actually making pastry) and 20% of the time in lecture or watching demonstrations. After the 5-month program, we receive a certificate and are matched by our chefs to an internship for 3 – 6 months. Thankfully, the program is taught all in English but we are required to attend French classes in order to be able to work at our internships. Chef Instructors The chef instructors in my program are all professionals and have years of industry experience. They are very eager to share their knowledge with students and answer as many questions as possible. In order to get a more personalized experience, the entire program is divided into 4 different classes and each assigned a chef. This means there’s approximately a 13:1 student to chef instructor ratio, which is a great learning environment. Every 2 weeks, our chef instructors shuffle groups so we can learn from different chefs (as they all have different teaching styles but still cover the same material in each class). My first chef instructor has insanely high standards; he expects absolute perfection. He tells us that we are making products to sell to customers, so he wants everything to be perfect because that’s what customers expect. His attention to detail is insanely critical in everything he does including the preparation of the workspace, the process of making pastry and adding the finishing touches on the product. It’s eye opening and I’m so glad to be able to train under him. Uniforms As with most professional places, uniforms are required to be clean, ironed and worn at all times while on campus. If chefs don’t approve of your uniform you can be sent home to change and/or excluded from class. So they are quite serious about uniforms here. Honestly, this is the only uniform that I absolutely love! It consists of a chef jacket, apron, black chef pants (with guy-sized pockets!!! Girls know what I’m talking about!), a hat, and non-slip super fashionable shoes (sarcasm). I feel so professional! Classmates My classmates come from all over the world. In my class alone (just 14 students) there are students from China, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, the Bahamas, and Brazil. Now that I think of it, I’m the only one in my class from the United States. Everyone in my class all came to pastry school for the same reason, to follow our dreams. But, all of us come from very different backgrounds and experience levels with pastry. Before following their passion for baking and pastry some students were chemists, accountants, doctors, academics, military soldiers, journalists, primary school teachers, civil engineers, and even chefs of cuisine. Because everyone comes from different backgrounds, this also means that we all have different levels of experience with pastry. Some students have absolutely no experience while others have already been to a culinary school. As you would probably guess, most people baked as a hobby and it turned into a passion. Now we are all learning and growing together to live our dreams and it’s quite amazing! The energy of a room filled with like-minded people is unmatched. Library I wasn’t really surprised to discover there was a library on campus mainly because almost every single university does. What I didn’t realize when I walked into the library that it was essentially going to be super culinary nerd heaven. There are entire sections on chocolate, pastry, fruit, running food businesses, flour, food science, etc. I couldn’t help but get really giddy about all the time I’m going to spend in there. Although, I don’t think it’s going to be possible to read everything since most books are in French but hey, it’ll be great practice! In The Classroom I know this is defiantly the part everyone is waiting for. There are two different kitchens where we train, also referred to as labs. One is more modern and spacious, while the other one is older and more compact. Every week we switch labs in order to become familiar with both types of working environments. Our class is structured very organically to how one would work in a professional kitchen. The chefs require us to respond with a resounding, “Yes, chef!” To know that we understand what he is saying. (Except keep in mind it’s in French so it’s technically “Oui, chef!”) The chef will explain and demonstrate what we are working on for that class then will tell us to go try it. While we are working, the chef walks around and ensures everyone is doing things properly. After each step is completed, we all gather around together to see the next step and so on until we each have our own finished products. Check out these cream puffs I made all by myself! They definitely were not perfect but I think they came out alright! The chef makes everything look so easy… So far, this week has been amazing. I can’t wait to see how I will develop my techniques and grow throughout this program. I’m so elated to finally be studying what I’m truly passionate about and I know my classmates are too. Time seems to fly by and I’m doing my best to get the most out of this experience!
What do you think about my chocolate cream puffs? Maybe I’ll add these to my menu when I get back home!
9 Comments
Mary
2/18/2018 10:01:40 am
Your first week sounds amazing! How cool that the students come from such diverse backgrounds! And yes, please add those cream puffs to your menu! They look delicious (and perfect to me)!
Reply
Patricia
2/20/2018 08:51:16 am
It is pretty great to have a diverse class! By the end I'll have friends all over the world! Definitely will add to the menu if there is enough interest :)
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Nancy
2/18/2018 10:37:17 am
Sounds like school is going great! Your cream puffs look amazing! I would be happy to sample them ! 😁Also, what kind of hat is part of your uniform? A chef hat???😉
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Patricia
2/20/2018 08:52:08 am
Yes for sure!
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Elizabeth
2/18/2018 10:45:31 am
They look amazing. I am fascinated by your experience. Can not wait to hear more!!
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Patricia
2/20/2018 08:52:59 am
Thanks so much Elizabeth!
Reply
Gina
2/18/2018 01:45:21 pm
That’s great Patricia! Glad your enjoying the school. Love your articles. And now I’m going to go buy me some cream puffs! Lol.
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Patricia
2/20/2018 08:53:42 am
Haha, yes. It has that effect on people! These are definitely 1,000,000 better than any cream puff I've ever tried!
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mick
5/26/2022 04:58:13 pm
Very nice post about your experience. I enjoyed reading! I want to share a school that is specialized in cooking classes. "Trupp the Chef's Table". https://truppthechefstable.com They have courses suited both for beginners and advanced cooks on the kitchen. Once again, thanks!
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AuthorHey there! I'm Patricia a recent college grad and business owner who had the crazy idea of picking up my life and moving to Paris to chase my dreams! Follow me on my journey to becoming a Pastry Chef. 😁👩🏻🍳 Archives
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