My 12 year old wants to be a pastry chef, what does she need to do now?!
Answers: I'm trying to help her fullfil her dream, but I don't know what classes she should take in high school or even what cooking schools to look at.
Honestly, alot of culinary schools don't really care too much about grades.
I was in high school for 5 years, and failed almost every class because I never went. I was accepted at three different culinary schools before I even dropped out of high school and got my GED.
In many culinary schools, the acceptance is based on the interview, and whether the applicant shows ambition and drive, and the desire and capability to work in the industry.
However, there are many culinary schools that do value academics as well, and nearly every school requires SATs and/or has an english/math entrance exam. If your daughter's high school offers any home ec or cooking classes, those are a must. Also, it helps to have even a small amount of industry experience. Anything from waitressing on week night to working the register at a bakery, or even working at Baskin Robbins can be a bit of help.
As far as schools go, you and your daughter have years to research them. Most schools offer program information on their websites, and sometimes even have detailed course descriptions. I've heard that Johnson & Wales is an excellent school, and they have a few different locations. The Art Institute Schools have campuses all over the country, including New York City (that's where I'm going right now), several California locations, Florida, and they've even got an international campus in Vancouver. The Institute of Culinary Education in New York City also has a very good reputation.
I think you should start out with a few simple internet searches. Most schools will mail you their catalogs if you request one from their website. But, as I said, you and your daughter have at least a few years to decide, so take your time. What's important is that you find a school and a program that sounds right for her.
The first rule is never use from your own supply.Or is that drug dealing?
i would let her keep dreaming of being a chef she is only 12 so she will probably change her mind by the time high school gets here...but home-ec is a start.
Let her cook at home too. We do that with our kids. My husband is a cook so, they have an interest in it too. At school get her to take any cooking classes that are available to her. She has to do English & get good marks. TAFE also have cooking cources. Tafe is a Tech college. Keep her at shool till she is about 15 then she should be old enough for an Apprentaship.
well most schools only have a few cooking classes available, so she could probably get them all in. You didn't really give your location to pick a cooking school, there is the Pennsylvania culinary school in the US
Nurture her dream, encourage her ambition. But above all, since she's now only 12, see that she gets a well-rounded education so she can become a responsible citizen. She'll have her whole life to follow her dream, but only a handful of years to learn how to use her head.
practice at home
good grades in home economics (if there is that in her school (but also in maths and english) maybe a language so she knows what a crossant is and then loads of colleges do cookery classes for when she is 16 and over (in the UK) btu 1st thing 1st good grades. who knows by the time shes is 16 she would probably want to be something eles
Go into your local fancy bakery. Talk to them. You might even be able to get her in the kitchens to watch. That might be fun. She's not old enough to work, but maybe ask if she can watch them make eclairs or something.
So much changes from 12 to 18. I wanted to be a ballerina when I was 8, a lawyer when I was 11, a doctor when I was 15, a rock star when I was 18, and a rich debutant the very second I found out how hard it was in the real world, lol.
You can support her dreams without investing too much. Feel it out. See how excited she gets. Most pastry places would be delighted to let a kid watch them make stuff. Maybe even help out a little? No harm in feeling it out... don't take her with you, though. Go yourself until you find someone who is open to the idea.
Assuming you are 32..,,,yea ±. you could be 26
You have no idea that the school has counselors..???
Not just for the students...???
My answer is- - - - Yes many online cooking Schools have counselors also.
OR that the community colleges have courses that can be audited by qualified teens... and also have counselors... it is your tax money..ask
and NO I am not going to post a web site ..
Cordon Blue Institute of culinary ???
is on the TV,,,,you,,, help your daughter
your Yellow book has more
Start by having her help out with making food at home, or give her the responsibility of providing deserts for meals when you feel appropriate. She should be able to choose appropriate types of desserts for the type of meal you will be having. Also have her participate in the shopping for ingredients so she can have a good idea of what is available - packaged mixes vs. raw ingredients, etc...
Watch cooking programs, like on Food Network, especially those involved in desserts and pastries. They have plenty of those. Try having her imitate a particularly interesting dish from one of the shows. Most of the shows will have recipes posted on the website that you can print out.
Also, have her search recipe boards online to find new and interesting recipes. When she does make dessert, take pictures and have her keep a diary or notebook with the recipes used and notes on the techiques or ingredients she used, any variations she used or would like to use for next time, etc...
If her school offers it, she should take all available cooking or home ec. classes, as well as english and math classes. There are lots of fractions involved in cooking, and baking is a lot more precise than other types of cooking - ingredients have to be in exact proportions to achieve the desired results.
As someone else mentioned, a foreign language might also be helpful, particularly French.
Most local community colleges offer cooking classes and she may be old enough to attend some of these. Some might even have "kids camp" cooking activities. If you live in a large enough city, there might even be some activity centers or after-school programs or places that do kids cooking workshops (see referenced article below).
Once she gets old enough, try to find a job with a bakery, cake shop or even catering. With catering, she can work directly with the pastry chef and also see the results of her hard work while serving her desserts.
Then she can work for a more formal education by attending a cooking school. If she decides she doesn't want to cook but would like to stay in the industry, another option would be to look into the hotel and restaurant management side - there are several schools, such as UNLV, that have high profile programs that specialize in 5-star types of hotels/resorts/restaurants that would be looking for people to run them and organize events.
Hope this helps