Pursuing a Career in Baking and Pastry Arts

Do you enjoy baking at home for your family and friends? Do you enjoy making deserts that are not only delicious, but are beautiful too? So, why not hone your skills, and learn the art and science of baking and pastry making, and pursue it as a career?

Professional bakers or pastry chefs get to create wonderful breads, desserts and pastries in the state-of-the-art kitchens at hotels, restaurants and resorts, which look like works of art. The job of a pastry chef is creative, interesting and exciting yet very challenging. It's creative because they get opportunities to create desserts that look like works of art and are a feast to the eyes as well as palates of their clients. It's challenging because they have to innovate and bring new ideas to the market on frequent basis.

So, if you're a creative type who likes to experiment with breads, pastries and desserts and wants to perfect the art of baking and pastry making, a course in baking and pastry arts management may be the right choice for you. It will expand your baking abilities, while helping you develop strong business acumen. This opens doors to numerous career opportunities with various hospitality and food service organizations. Not only this, it gives you an option to be self-employed.

What Do You Learn in a Baking and Pastry Arts Management Program?

A post-secondary baking and pastry arts management program in Toronto typically runs for two semesters, and includes classroom learning, hands-on practical training and valuable work experience through an individualized internship. The program aims to help you:

• Expand your abilities in quantity production
• Learn to manage material purchasing and inventory management
• Understand the principles of cost control
• Gain marketing and business management skills
• Build strong grounding in principles and practices of nutrition for culinarians
• Learn to use commercial kitchen equipment

The baking program covers a wide range of subjects in baking and pastry arts theory and practical, communication, hospitality accounting, sanitation, safety and hygiene, quantity bakery production, food, beverages and labour cost controls, hospitality management, professional communication, marketing strategies, human resources and personnel management.

It is an intensive program that not only focuses on the art and science of baking and pastry management, but also helps you develop strong business acumen and professional communication, presentation and management skills. It prepares you for careers with bakeries, supermarkets, resorts, hotels, camps, department stores, and other related businesses.

Studying Baking and Pastry Arts Management in Toronto

Although a number of colleges in Toronto offer post-secondary programs in baking but Centennial College offers additional benefits to its students. Firstly, the program at the college is delivered by experienced instructors, who have strong academic and industry backgrounds. Secondly, the college has brand new state-of-the-art culinary facilities that allow students to gain hands-on training on the latest equipment. Thirdly, you are provided with individualized internship with industry partners. This helps you put your learning into practice and gain valuable industry contacts that can be used as references in future.

Enrolment Guide

The post-secondary diploma program in baking and pastry arts management accepts applications from students who are either attending their high schools currently or have completed their secondary education. You can send your application to the college, supported with a copy of secondary school diploma certificate and scores in English Grade 12 C or University or equivalent.

Pastry Arts Management Focuses on Managerial and Baking Skills

The glass cases display a feast for the eyes: cupcakes with a rainbow of frosting, strudel drizzled with a sweet glaze, decadent cakes lined with fruit, cream pies with whipped topping, donuts in all shapes and sizes, weaved bread sprinkled with rosemary, cheese buns and many other savoury baked goods. These delicacies are the creation of professionals who work in retail bakeries, supermarkets, department stores, hotels, resorts, camps and more. That’s because these bakers are trained in making commercial quantities of breads, rolls, sweet dough, savoury and sweet pastry, Danish and puff pastry, cookies, cakes and desserts.

At Centennial College, students can attend the Baking - Pastry Arts Management program, which not only gives them the hands-on skills they need as bakers but also the know-how to manage the bakery, including materials purchasing and storage, product cost control and marketing, hiring and managing personnel. Among specific management courses are: Principles of Food, Beverage and Labour Control Costs (students learn practices such as predetermining food, beverage and labour costs; application of control process to the primary phases of restaurant operations, including purchasing, receiving, storing, issuing and production; menu analysis and engineering, and explore the factors affecting labour cost, performance standards, monitoring performance and taking corrective action);

Purchasing for the Commercial Kitchen (introduces students to the procedures required to build an integrated purchasing system for food and non-food items while allowing them to investigate the responsibilities of the purchaser and learning to apply quality standards and ethical conduct); Supervisory Practices for the Kitchen Manager (designed to give learners an opportunity to practice the skill set of a successful supervisor); and more. Meanwhile, among specific baking courses are: Baking and Pastry Arts Theory, Baking and Pastry Arts Practical, Quantity Bakery Production and more.

All learning in this offering is conducted through a balance of lectures and labs. At Progress Campus, Centennial College houses a number of School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culture facilities that enhance students’ experience. One specifically beneficial facility is a bake lab that contains tools such as the latest mixers, scales and everything else bakers need to successfully bake an array of goods. Additionally, these labs come equipped with large-screen video equipment to document and play back instructive lessons and an audio-visual system that allows for real-time feeds and access to Internet and broadcast content.

Clearly, this offering is a lot more than just a baking program. Because they will have worked with the latest equipment in their classes and gained the most current managerial practice, graduates can make a smooth transition into the workforce. It is also worth nothing that graduates of the one year Baking - Commercial Bakeries program may directly enter the third semester of this program and earn a diploma in one (additional) year.

Pastry Arts Management Students Receive Significant Amount of Practical Experience

Aside from retail bakeries, supermarkets, department stores, hotels, resorts, camps and more all hire bakers with the ability to produce advanced commercial quantities of breads, rolls, sweet dough, savoury and sweet pastry, Danish and puff pastry, cookies, cakes and desserts. If these professionals also have knowledge of materials purchasing and storage, product cost control and marketing, hiring and managing personnel, they are at a distinct advantage.

Centennial College's Baking – Pastry Arts Management program balances the practical skills of bakers with the business savvy they need to stand apart from the competition. This learning occurs within the Culinary Arts Centre, which boasts all of the latest equipment that in turn helps students to make a smooth transition into the workforce.

Applicants are required to have completed an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent, or have mature student status (19 years or older) and English Grade 12 C or U, or equivalent (minimum grade required) or take the Centennial College English Skills Assessment for Admission.

Once they are accepted, students attend a range of courses that include:

Baking and Pastry Arts Theory: Used in this course are study sessions that review major baking ingredients, their industry applications, trade terminology as well as baking production principles and methods.

Mathematics for Bakers: Mathematics is an essential part of the baker's job. As such, students learn how to convert formulas from imperial to metric, calculate baking percentages, determine flour factor, and prepare formulae for practical applications.

Quantity Bakery Production: Large scale baking is quite common in bakeries so students learn the basic principles of baking and develop the skills necessary for success in such a baking environment. The course highlights technique, terminology, organization, professionalism, safe handling and storage of products.

Baking and Pastry Arts Practical (3 Levels): The first of these three courses gives students a base with basic production principles and gains confidence in weighing ingredients, mixing doughs and preparing batters, fillings and icings. Students prepare, bake and finish specific sweet and savoury doughs, quick breads, cookies, pastries, custards, pies and laminated doughs. The second course, presented during the second semester, moves onto re-enforcing techniques in selecting, weighing, and mixing ingredients. Students prepare, bake and finish foam cakes, advanced pastries, petite fours, special occasion cakes, creams, custards, advanced sweet and savoury doughs and choux paste desserts. The final of the three courses, meanwhile, is an advanced version of the second course.

To round out this baking program, students experience a field placement during the final semester. This is students' opportunity to work in commercial kitchens applying what they have learned in their courses, learning from seasoned professionals and making industry connections.

Graduates of the one year Baking - Commercial Bakeries program may directly enter semester three of this program and earn a diploma in one additional year.

Baking - Pastry Arts Management Balances Theory and Application For Student Success

Whether a bakery is a retail operation or in a supermarket, department store, hotel, resort, camp or related business, it needs a professional with the skills to successfully manage and operate it. Students of Centennial College’s Baking – Pastry Arts Management program can rest assured that the two years they spend in the offering and the Ontario College Diploma with which they graduate fully prepares them for the challenges of the field.

Not only do students of this program advance their abilities to produce commercial quantities of breads, rolls, sweet dough, savoury and sweet pastry, Danish and puff pastry, cookies, cakes and desserts but they also learn about managing materials purchasing and storage, product cost control and marketing, hiring and managing personnel. This is an ideal balance for the industry.

Here is an outline of some of the most beneficial courses in Baking – Pastry Management:

Baking and Pastry Arts Theory: This first semester course establishes a solid foundation for students to base their learning on. Through study sessions, students review major baking ingredients and their industry applications, trade terminology, and baking production principles and methods.

Baking and Pastry Arts Practical (three levels): These three courses in semesters one, two and three apply what students learn in their theory class and make use of on-campus facilities such as commercial kitchens. Among the lessons taught throughout the advancing levels of this baking program course are: weighing ingredients, mixing doughs and preparing batters, fillings and icings; baking and finishing specific sweet and savoury doughs, quick breads, cookies, pastries, custards, pies and laminated doughs, foam cakes, advanced pastries, petite fours, special occasion cakes, creams, custards, advanced sweet and savoury doughs, and choux paste desserts.

Mathematics for Bakers: This course introduces students to the mathematical fundamentals required for baking, which is essential to ensuring organization in the kitchen, not to mention delicious pastries every time. Among the included topics are: converting formulae from imperial to metric, calculating baking percentages, determining flour factor, and preparing formulae for practical applications.

Quantity Bakery Production: With a focus on technique, terminology, organization, professionalism, safe handling and storage of products, students learn basic principles of baking and develop the skills necessary for success in a large-scale baking environment.

Supervisory Practices for the Kitchen Manager: Because this is a managerial program, this course is vital in combating one of the biggest concerns of the restaurant manager: human resources. Managers are worried about employee skill level, retention, motivation, training, and retraining. As such, the average kitchen manager must become a better leader, supervisor, and motivator. This course is designed to give learners an opportunity to practice the skill set of a successful supervisor.

To apply for this undertaking, students must have completed an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent, or have mature student status (19 years or older). They must also have taken English Grade 12 C or U, or equivalent (minimum grade required) or take the Centennial College English Skills Assessment for Admission. Lastly, it is worth noting that graduates of the one year Baking - Commercial Bakeries program may directly enter semester three of program and earn a diploma in one additional year.

Excelling in Baking Art and Business

Baking is not only about trying endlessly until you get the right softness and consistency but is also about experimenting and innovating and bringing new concepts and ideas to the market. You must be a very talented baker without any formal education in baking but a professional course and training can change your perception towards the art and science of baking and help you hone your skills. Apart from this, it can help you explore various career options that this profession offers, enabling you link your passion and talent with business aspects of baking.

Knowledge and Hands-on Experience

The most appropriate way to unleash your creativity and natural talent and gain deeper insights into baking business is studying bakery - pastry arts management. It is a two-year post-secondary program that helps you build solid foundation in baking and pastry arts theory and expand your abilities, making you more efficient. The program is 60 percent hands-on experience either in state-of-the-art laboratories within the college campus or industry field placements with restaurants and hotels. The practical training and internships are an integral part of a baking program.

As a student of this program, you get to learn to produce commercial quantities of cakes, sweets, desserts, puff pastries, Danish pastries, cookies, breads, rolls, savoury and sweet dough. With this, you also learn to manage material purchasing and storage, marketing, cost control and hiring and managing personnel. You also get an opportunity to learn about maintaining sanitation, safety and hygiene and following the best practices to keep nutrients intact while baking.

Apart from this, the course also gives a working knowledge of hospitality accounting, mathematics for bakers, computing, marketing strategies, professional communication and report writing. The pastry arts management program is an all inclusive program that provides students a thorough understanding and hands-on experience in baking and other related areas.

Career Information

After course completion, the graduates can choose to pursue their careers and find employment with supermarkets, retail bakeries, hotels, restaurants, resorts, department stores, camps or other related businesses. As they are well-versed in commercial baking and trained on working on the latest kitchen equipment, they can easily find employment. Those interested in establishing their own retail bakery outlet can go ahead with it.

The demand for baking - pastry arts management students is very high. This is due to constantly increasing number of eating joints and food service establishments. Moreover, people also expect a range of choices whenever they eat out. The businesses are always looking for professionals who can experiment with ingredients and bring innovative items to the market.

Studying Baking - Pastry Arts Management in Canada

Centennial College's two-year program in baking - pastry arts is an all-inclusive course that focuses on art and science of baking as well as the business of baking, which provides students a unique advantage. The college also has a brand new culinary facility where students can practice. The course is taught by industry experts. Not only this, the students are also provided with individualized internships with industry partners.

In order to apply for this program, the students need to fill an application form and submit a copy of secondary school diploma certificate and scores of English Grade 12 C or University or equivalent.

Career Outlook for a Post Secondary Baking - Pastry Arts Management Program

Even if you're a very talented natural baker and pastry chef, a formal education and training in baking and pastry arts management can help you hone your skills and provide you with new career possibilities that have never crossed your mind. Whether you're interested in working with professional establishments or are planning to set up your own bakery business, you will need to have a comprehensive baking and business knowledge and be well-versed with working on the latest baking equipment.

Unlike tradition cooking or baking courses, the modern Baking - Pastry arts management programs at reputed colleges and universities are no longer restricted to teaching you just the bakery and pastry arts. In fact, these courses are designed to provide students with knowledge and skills to establish, manage and run commercial bakery outlets effectively.

Not only this, during the program tenure, you will also have a chance to explore diverse career opportunities in hotels, restaurants, pastry shops, retail bakeries, cafes, department stores, resorts, camps, supermarkets and other related businesses in the areas of quantity bakery production, materials purchase management and inventory management. You may also build a rewarding career in product marketing, cost control and hiring and managing personnel.

Career Prospects

The career prospects in this field are bright because of continually increasing consumption of bakery items in daily living. More and more people depend on ready-made baked items due to their busy lifestyle. In such a scenario, professionals with excellent baking skills and understanding of the food business have better chances of building rewarding careers in this field. With formal education and training, employment prospects increase further and you can find descent paying jobs right in the beginning.

Competencies Required for Building a Career in Baking - Pastry Arts Management

Traditionally, bakers were expected to just bake various items, such as breads, rolls, sweet dough, savoury and sweet pastries, Danish and puffy pastries, cakes, cookies and desserts. However, times have changed. The job market has grown so competitive that employers are keen on hiring professionals who can not only handle quantity bakery product but can also manage bakery stores, purchase and store material, control product costs and manage personnel.

They are expected not only to possess excellent baking skills but also have strong business acumen. In addition to this, they must be able to work on all the latest kitchen equipment. They are also expected to understand specific needs of customers and bring an innovative product to the market.

The pastry arts management and baking program not only help students expand their baking abilities and skills but also exposes them to other aspects of commercial bakery production. The program, through classroom learning, hands-on lab and industry field placement, gives them an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in producing commercial quantities of bakery items, purchasing and managing inventory and controlling product costs.

Centennial College's program in baking -pastry arts management helps students gain the knowledge and skills required to seek employment in this field. The two-year post-secondary baking program covers a wide range of subjects, including introduction to hospitality accounting, sanitation, safety and hygiene, principles of food, beverage and labour cost controls, marketing strategies and principles and practices of nutrition for culinarians.

Admission Requirements

In order to apply for this program, students will need to submit secondary school diploma certificate or equivalent and scores of English Grade 12 C or University or equivalent.

Baking program moulds students into future pastry cooks

All you need is a sweet tooth for creating delectable desserts, and you have the drive to compete in the competitive world of baking and the pastry arts. Skills and experience are highly valued in this arena, so you must be determined and hardworking to fulfill your sweet ambitions. This is not a traditional 9-5 job, but it can be a promising career, which starts with a culinary arts management program in pastry arts.

The training to make sweet concoctions starts with preparing simple breads and rolls, and moving to complex desserts while mastering different baking techniques. Eventually, students become independent to design their own dessert plates and manage the dessert stations in kitchens. The program to complete a vast amount of hands-on training to hull these culinary skills is the Baking - Pastry Arts Management (1813) program at Centennial College.

With a new Culinary Arts Centre, Centennial College provides its hospitality students with state-of-the-art facilities, mirroring professional kitchens around the world. Students learn about various tools and production methods, including producing large batches of sweet dough and pastry with the commercial baker's oven. The program is action-packed with plenty of training for its students:

• A solid two years of postsecondary education will earn the graduate with a college diploma and the necessary skills and experience in a commercial baking and pastry arts kitchen.
• Experienced professors teach relevant theories and discussions, andon-campus kitchen training, which are a crucial part of a training in the field, where students practice and hone their abilities.
• Math courses, specific to culinary students and baking needs, are offered so student will be able to produce small and large batches of desserts, as required by any employers in the food industry.
• Further practical training is gained with an industry employer through the field placement, which encompasses the fourth semester. Students are exposed in the real job environment and work with professionals, while receiving on-the-job training in their field.
• The culinary arts programis combined with business courses, to ensure greater competitive advantage for students, who wish to broaden their careers to management positions and entrepreneurship.

Graduates are knowledgeable with common industry practices and kitchen procedures, ensuring work is completed in an ethical and safe manner, all while producing presentable and delicious desserts. Students move into careers as a pastry cook or chef pâtissier, creating an assortment of desserts, including:

• Savoury and sweet pastries, cookies, and cakes
• Chocolate and candy creations
• Various icings, sauces, and dough

The key is to start the training early and let young party professionals gain the experience required to be successful in the culinary world. Centennial's baking program guides students from culinary textbooks to the baking ovens for a practical use of knowledge and development of baking techniques and skills. Baking - Pastry Arts Management program graduates can launch their careers in small and large kitchens at bakery shops, pâtissieries, cafés, restaurants, hotels, resorts, and entertainment companies.

Baking Arts Management Programs in Canada

The job of pastry bakers is no longer limited to turning raw ingredients into baked treats. Instead it extends to quantity bakery production, labour cost controls, purchasing for commercial kitchen, menu planning, practices of nutrition, and human resource planning.

Traditionally, pastry bakers were expected to just bake pastries, cookies, breads, cakes and chocolates. However, times have changed. Now, the industry offers them more legitimate career options in the areas of supply management, hospitality management, human resource planning, and sanitation, hygiene and safety, marketing of baked goods, and kitchen management.

The professionals are now required to have excellent baking skills combined with strong business acumen. They should be able to work in state-of-the-art kitchens, while using the latest equipments and ensuring their smooth transition into the workforce. They are not only required to bake cakes and pastries, but are also expected to innovate and bring a new product or concept to the market.

Baking Arts Management Programs

Prospective pastry bakers in Canada are required to go through a formal and intensive training in baking arts management before entering the world of work. In fact, this is considered as the basic requirement to pursue an entry level job in the industry.

Previously pastry bakers were trained on-the-job and paid decently after several years of hard work. However, nowadays, structured post-secondary educational programs are available in Canada with the colleges of repute.

Bakery arts management programs are designed to provide students with the skills to effectively manage commercial bakery outlets. They learn to expand their knowledge of baking and produce commercial quantities of breads, muffins, cakes, pastries, pies, rolls, sweet dough and savoury. They also learn to mange product costs, labour costs, purchase and storage of materials, product marketing, hiring and managing personnel.

Program Details

Centennial College's baking program runs for two years and offers a unique blend of classroom learning, hands-on baking lab and an individualized internship with industry partners. The program focuses on helping students develop pastry baking arts and business management skills.

The post-secondary program in baking arts covers a wide range of subjects including

• Baking and pastry arts theory and practical
• Hospitality accounting
• Sanitation, safety and hygiene
• Quantity bakery production
• Principles of food, beverage and labour cost controls
• Principles of hospitality management
• Purchasing for commercial kitchen
• Human resources management
• Marketing strategies
• Principles and practices of nutrition for culinarians
• Supervisory practices for Kitchen Manager

In addition, the program lays a strong emphasis on professional communication, report writing, mathematics for bakers, and knowledge in computers.

Benefits of Baking Programs

The graduates of baking arts programs are capable of

• Working on the latest baking equipments
• Producing baking goods in large quantities
• Managing commercial bakery outlets
• Managing materials purchase and storage
• Marketing baked products effectively
• Hiring and managing personnel at a commercial bakery
• Ensuring sanitation, safety and hygiene

They can find employment with hotels, restaurants, retail pastry outlets, bistros, resorts, camps, department stores, supermarkets, and other related businesses. The graduates can also start their own pastry establishment.

Students looking for better job prospects can also consider studying further by enrolling into advanced bakery arts program with associated universities.

A Quick Overview of a Professional Baking Program

A two-year postsecondary diploma in baking – pastry arts management is one-of-a-kind program that provides students the best of two worlds – baking and business skills to manage commercial bakery outlets. It is designed to help those students who want to turn their passion and love for baking into rewarding careers.

The program helps students to acquire skills necessary to successfully manage and operate bakeries in hotels, resorts, restaurants, departmental stores, supermarkets and in other food-related businesses. The graduates are also able to effectively manage retail bakeries as well as start their own bakery business.

A baking program generally runs for two years and focuses on helping students develop baking skills required to produce bulk/commercial quantities of pastries, cookies, cakes, desserts, Danish and puff pastries, sweet dough, savoury and breads and rolls. You also learn the techniques and methods to store and manage the bulk produce.

In addition, on the business side the emphasis is placed on helping students learn about

• Purchasing and storage of materials
• Bulk production
• Product cost control
• Labour cost control
• Supervision in kitchen
• Presentation and communication
• Business planning
• Product marketing
• Personnel hiring and management
• Report writing

The program also covers sanitation, safety and hygiene while baking, storing and serving the bakery items. Besides, the students are also taught about principles and practices of food and nutrition.

The baking arts management program in Toronto is a comprehensive course that combines classroom learning, hands-on-lab and field placement. You get a lot of opportunities to apply your classroom learning into practice. Under the guidance of professionals, you perfect the art of baking and the science of quantity production, ready to assume the positions related to running, operating and managing bakery in establishments in food, hospitality and catering industries.

Education Prerequisites

Although you don’t require any specific skills to enroll in a baking – pastry arts management course but you will need to fulfill basic eligibility criteria which include:

• Secondary School Diploma
• English Grade 12 C or University scores/certificate

Students currently appearing in high schools can also apply for this course. However, if you already have attended one year baking – commercial bakeries diploma program, you can directly enter semester 3 of this program.

Course Topics

A diploma program in baking – pastry arts management covers a wide range of subjects including computing, hospitality accounting, mathematics for hospitality, baking and pastry arts, hospitality management, commercial purchasing and storage, nutrition for culinarians and marketing strategies.

The first semester focuses on helping students gain basic understanding of bakery business in Canada, not just baking. You will get to know about ingredients, their importance and utility in depth. In the second semester, the focus is on effective use of ingredients and flavours to produce quantity without compromising on quality.

The third semester is dedicated to help you learn about nutrition, health regulations, personnel management, kitchen supervision and career planning. In the fourth semester, you’ll undergo intense field training. It will be a decisive factor for you career after completion of the course as experts review your performance.

A postsecondary diploma in baking – pastry arts management opens doors to many career options with job titles as bakery manager, pastry chef, dessert caterer, pastry department manager. Graduates can also consider establishing their own small bakery outlet.

Complete a Baking Program In Two Semesters

If you have a passion for baking and two semesters to spend in a baking program, Centennial College’s Baking – Commercial Bakeries program may be for you. Designed to see students graduate with an Ontario College Certificate and the knowledge they need to enter entry level positions in retail bakeries, supermarkets, department stores, hotels, camps and other related businesses, this baking program offers a well rounded education. The baking courses at Toronto-based Centennial College are ideal for those who are most interested in working in commercial kitchens and have a general interest in the baking industry.

•    Baking program applicants must possess minimum an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent, or mature student status (19 years or older).

•    The baking program requires students to have completed English Grade 12 C or U or equivalent, or skills assessment.

•    Centennial College’s largest location, Progress Campus, is home to this baking program.

•    Because of its location, students of the baking program have access to many School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culture facilities that enhance their education.

•    Among the facilities that benefit baking program students are a kitchen, in which they can obtain hands-on training, as well as a newly renovated lab and a state-of-the-art computer lab.

•    The ultimate goal of these baking courses is to meet industry demands for people skilled in producing baked goods.

•    Students learn from instructors who are professional bakers.

•    The curriculum for this baking program has been carefully crafted to provide graduates with all of the skills necessary to gain employment in this growing field.

•    Students learn to produce commercial quantities of breads, rolls, sweet dough, savoury and sweet pastry, danish and puff pastry, cookies, cakes and desserts.

•    Among specific baking courses are: Baking and Pastry Arts Theory (provides students with essential, practical knowledge to produce commercial baking products); Quantity Bakery Production (emphasis is placed on technique, terminology, organization, professionalism, safe handling and storage of products); Purchasing for Commercial Kitchens (designed to demonstrate to learners the procedures required to build an integrated purchasing system for food and non-food items); and more.

•    In this baking program, students also learn the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to carry out their duties in a safe, ethical and professional manner.

•    Helping baking program students to develop professional attitudes is facilitated through courses such as College Communications, Sanitation, Safety and Hygiene; and more.

•    Among the companies that may hire qualified graduates who have completed an advanced program after finishing Centennial College’s baking program are: Wal-Mart Supercentre, Loblaws, Metro, Costco and Sobeys.

Passion, Creativity and Patience - Recipes for a Career in Commercial Bakeries

If you have a yearning for creativity, enjoy working in team settings, and like to work using your hands, a career in commercial bakeries is the right fit for you. Baking is a skilled trade which requires on-the-job training which is more important than any classroom lecture in this profession. It requires good manual and finger dexterity to perform common bakery skills like kneading and moulding.

The fast-paced work environments in baking professions are mainly found in the retail trade. This is composed of independent bakeries, internal bakeries of grocery stores, and wholesale stores. Corporate Chef Corey Kovacs, who has a dual certification in culinary arts and baking/patisserie, initiated Centennial College’s baking program and describes it to be designed to directly “supply competent and qualified people that are skillful for artisan bakeries, commissary kitchens such as large production facilities as well as in-house bakeries for grocery stores.” He is currently a Chef Professor at the baking course in Toronto.

A career in baking has boundless possibilities and a wide potential for growth, depending on the skills of the individual. One can join a company’s baking department but one can also start his or her own business and be their own boss. In addition to the retail industry, baking professionals can work in other fields that include baking as an integral part of their business. The hospitality and tourism industry employs bakers in resorts, hotels, and restaurants. An interesting fact is that bakers strictly follow recipes, but can also be found experimenting new recipes to introduce to their companies.

Since baking is a skilled trade, some may opt to starting in the industry, gaining experience first. However, training made available in colleges can facilitate employment and also test your abilities and commitment in baking. The Baking – Commercial Bakeries program is a two-semester course of studies offered at Centennial College. Theory and practical knowledge are taught in its 15 courses, which is a tight schedule but can deliver a college certificate quickly so graduates can enter the workforce and hone their skills. However, Centennial provides hands-on training with its enhanced baking lab and industry-experienced professors.

A kitchen team in Food Network shows is comprised of a group of crew members and a leader who must delegate instructions and manage every team member. A typical week at Centennial’s labs sees one student as the head chef while the other learners work together to follow the leader’s specifications. It’s a great learning curve in baking but also in the culinary industry where leadership skills and patience are put to the test. The career is rewarding but perfecting the skills will take time and practice to develop. For those who are passionate about baking and willing to work hard, they can soon become head baking chefs and entrepreneurs, and also delve into similar career paths within their culinary discipline.

The Baking – Commercial Bakeries program at Centennial College extends its teachings from the academic and applied training of baking to other relevant courses that can help ensure a positive job outlook for its graduates. Courses like Sanitation, Safety and Hygiene, and Purchasing for the Commercial Kitchen prepares students to enter the industry as learned professionals who will act ethically for the safety of the public they serve. The program is offered at Centennial’s Progress campus in the fall, winter and summer semesters. Students graduate with employable skills, with on-the-job training from labs and experiences at school events.

Emma, the author of the article, speaks about arts management program conducted by Centennial College. Furthermore, she gives detailed information about the course through the write-up.

Baking Program Hones In Baking Talents

The baking program is meant directly to supply competent and qualified people that are skillful for artisan bakeries, commissary kitchens such as large production facilities as well as in-house bakeries for grocery stores,” says Corey Covex, chef professor in Centennial College’s Baking – Commercial Bakeries program. “The baking program is very labour intensive, which means they have a lot of in-class participation, a lot of in-class products they have to produce, making students employment ready.”

This testimonial from Corey demonstrates the vast opportunities that are allotted to graduates of Centennial College’s baking program upon graduation and offers insight into how the offering gets them there. In addition to the places mentioned by Corey, grads may also work at department stores, hotels, camps and other related businesses. Among the specific businesses that have hired Centennial College baking program grads are: Costco, Wal-Mart Supercentre, Loblaws, Metro and Sobeys.

Let’s take a look at some of the essential details of the baking program and its courses. First and foremost, because the program only takes two semesters to complete, it is intensive and fast-paced. Students should be prepared to gain insight into not only producing commercial quantities of breads, rolls, sweet dough, savoury and sweet pastry, danish and puff pastry, cookies, cakes and desserts, but also applying business know-how to the baking industry. In addition, students gain insight into important baking etiquette such as safety and ethics as well as professional manner. 

Throughout students’ baking courses Toronto, professional bakers serve as instructors who ensure there is a mature environment in which students collaborate and learn from one another. As student Ciara tells it, “In the first semester, we just learned about the actual baking like recipes and proportions. Second semester, we get into more detailed things like baking cakes. We also have hands-on practice where one person gets to be the chef and the rest of us have to do what they say.”

To help students in getting real world simulation during their baking courses are the facilities at Progress Campus, which is home to all School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culture offerings. Among these facilities are kitchens in which students can obtain hands-on training to complement what they learn in their baking courses. In addition, students learn in a newly renovated lab and have a state-of-the-art computer lab at their disposal.

Among the particular baking courses offered in this baking program are: Baking and Pastry Arts Practice, Baking and Pastry Arts, Purchasing for the Commercial Kitchen, Practical Math of Hospitality, Introduction to Computing, Mathematics for Bakers, Quantity Bakery Production and more.

Baking program applicants are required to possess at minimum an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent, or mature student status (19 years or older). In addition, they must have completed English Grade 12 C or U or equivalent, or skills assessment.