Where does one go to become a pastry chef (pâtissier)?

When this is what my mind keeps seeing..


I did a brief search on google. I don't know of any specific courses or schools in Victoria apart from William Angliss Tafe (because my dad was there once upon a time I think).

And it came up with these results:

Tafe courses to be a pastrycook:

According the the Australian Government JobGuide, a pastry cook will:
- mix, bake, fill, ice and decorate all kinds of cakes and pastries.
- weigh, mix or knead (manipulate with your hands), mature, mould and shape mixture before baking
- load and unload mixture into ovens using tins and trays
- operate and monitor baking equipment and temperature to control appearance of products
- glaze or decorate with icing or cream
- order baking supplies from wholesalers
- check and maintain the cleanliness of equipment and utensils to make sure health and safety regulations are met
- serve customers
- may specialise as chocolatiers, patissiers, ice carvers, sculptors and festive cake decorators.

They stand most of the day and may work broken shifts at night or on weekends and public holidays. They must be prepared to start work early in the morning.

They are required to:
- enjoy practical work
- have good hand-eye coordination
- be artistic and creative
- have good health, with no skin allergies or chronic chest complaints
- be clean and tidy.

Related Jobs:
- Baker
- Confectioner
- Cook

1. Certificate III in Food Processing - Retail Baking - Cake and Pastry
2. Certificate III in Food Processing - Retail Baking - Combined
3. Certificate III in Hospitality - Patisserie
4. Certificate III in Hospitality - Patisserie (02)
5. Certificate IV in Hospitality - Patisserie
6. Certificate IV in Hospitality - Patisserie (02)

I've never liked the sound of going to tafe (as I'm currently in university..), but these certificates sound more appealing to me than my current bachelors degree!

Le Cordon Bleu

Over the last century Le Cordon Bleu has seen revolutionizing change as we have evolved from a Parisian cooking school to an international network of culinary arts and hospitality institutes. Our philosophy of achieving excellence through constant practice and refinement remains the same, even as we grow to meet the needs of the contemporary culinary and hospitality industries.

In less than one year, it is possible to obtain Le Grand Diplôme Le Cordon Bleu, which is recognized worldwide by culinary professionals; it is the international passport to a rewarding and fulfilling career. At Le Cordon Bleu, we recognize that our students need a superior, well rounded education in order to succeed in today’s competitive world and we provide them with the tools to excel in less time than most other educational institutes.

While our main focus at Le Cordon Bleu is higher education, we have taken special interest in the public realm as well. We offer many fine restaurants as well as numerous bakeries and coffee shops under the Le Cordon Bleu trademark. In addition, we have expanded our activities to include various education media such as culinary publications, instructional videos, TV series, cooking equipment and much more. Furthermore, Le Cordon Bleu is often requested as an advisory consultant and is asked to participate in more than 50 international events, sharing our expertise around the globe. Our privileged partnerships and articulation agreements with various governments, universities and culinary associations have allowed us to promote French Art de Vivre worldwide.

Le Cordon Bleu Diplôme de Pâtisserie @ the Sydney campus (They also have campuses in Paris, London, Ottawa, Seoul, Kobe, Tokyo and Adelaide but differ in the courses they offer.)

Description
A vigorous and exciting course, the Le Cordon Bleu Diplome de Patisserie encompasses Le Cordon Bleu's Basic, Intermediate and Superior Patisserie courses, allowing students to master the techniques of classic patisserie while being introduced to all aspects of the kitchen.

The course progressively teaches the student to prepare a wide selection of cakes served in restaurants, patisserie shops and tearooms, through to classic and contemporary French desserts using advanced techniques in chocolate and sugar work.

Please be aware from our July intake the course will be 1.3years in length as the Superior Cuisine has a 6month work experience component attached.

Prerequisites
Applicants must be at least 18 years of age at time of course commencement

School leaver
- Satisfactory completion of Year 11 is required or equivalent interstate/overseas secondary education.

International entry
- Minimum of General IELTS 5.5 with no band score below 5 or recommendation for direct entry from a Le Cordon Bleu recognised English language provider.

The diploma consists of 3 courses: basic, intermediate and superior patisserie and costs.. $25,000 AUD. I think it's the same as the 3 certificates they offer, of basic ($7,300), intermediate ($7,600) and superior patisserie ($9,600), which totals up to be $24,500 though..

To me this sounds okay. I wouldn't mind leaving Melbourne. I'll keep doing my research, not just locally, but interstate and perhaps overseas. Perhaps by the time I finish my researching, I'll have enough money for all of this.

Does anyone know of any good schools? Any recommendations for someone who is inexperienced? :)

If you don't have passion in doing what you're doing, what's the use of it all? You're just unhappy and wasting your life. Isn't that right? Optometry will bring in good money. But there's hardly any joy left with it.. Perhaps I will suffer for the next few years.. and until I earn enough money, I'll run away from it all.

For now, let me dream and do my research. :)