Professional Baking and Patisserie

1.      CATALOG DESCRIPTION: 

A.S. Degree: The Professional Baking & Patisserie A.S Degree provides a hands-on experiential foundation in the baking and pastry arts, including laminated dough, occasional cakes, cake design, artisan breads, confectionary, production desserts, advanced baking principles, menu planning, and café style savory foods. Coursework includes principles of food preparation, introduction to baking,advanced professional baking, artisan breads, cake decorating, pastry art, and chocolates, and sanitation, safety and equipment management, and coursework in General Education. These general education courses will enhance communication skills, improve critical thinking skills and help with a professional career in baking and patisserie. The Professional Baking and Patisserie degree is designed to prepare students for a career in the baking sector of culinary arts and/or to transfer to a CSU to complete a four-year degree.

Certificate: This program is designed for people interested in employment and career advancement within the hotel and restaurant industry as a professional baker or pastry chef. The program combines theory and practical application of skills and abilities to meet the needs of employers in the hotel and restaurant industry. This program offers students educational and practical experience. The program takes a hands-on approach as students work in an actual production kitchen, baking for the Chaffey College Bistro. There is an ongoing need for trained bakers and cake decorators.  Supermarkets, specialty food stores, discount chains and delicatessens are all expanding into the “hot bakery” field.  Small retail bakers and large bread companies alike are proliferating around the country and all of them need skilled workers to fill the demand. Instructors with broad and deep industry experience offer instruction in the production of everything from doughnuts to wedding cakes, artisan breads and scratch cookies. The professionally equipped baking lab prepares students for the industry.  The program is supported by the industry and provides trained graduates to work in retail bakeries, leading hotels, restaurants, catering companies and country clubs.

According to ONET, the following are expected of a Baker:

• Check products for quality and identify damaged or expired goods.
• Set oven temperatures and place items into hot ovens for baking.
• Combine measured ingredients in bowls of mixing, blending, or cooking machinery.
• Place dough in pans, molds, or on sheets and bake in production ovens or on grills.
• Set time and speed controls for mixing machines, blending machines, or steam kettles so that ingredients will be mixed or cooked according to instructions.
• Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work

(ONET https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/51-3011.00)

PROGRAM GOALS AND OBJECTIVES: Completion of the program provides graduates with the principles and practices necessary for selection, storage, preparation, and service of food in quantity, including the culinary techniques used by chefs, institutional cooks, bakers, and catering services. Baking is a primary component of this program. Baking and pastry chefs typically require a considerable amount of on-the-job training to move up in the ranks - a degree in culinary arts can expedite this process.Opportunities for bakers and patissiers exist at hotels, convention centers,resorts and spas, cruise lines, casinos, and all manner of restaurants. The five occupations included in the baking and patisserie occupational group are (1) Bakers, (2) Chefs and Head Cooks, (3) Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria, (4) Cooks, Restaurant, and (5) First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers.

Program Learning Outcomes:

1. Students will observe safe and sanitary practices in the professional kitchen.

2. Students will practice professional standards in regards to baking, including breads, cakes and patisseries.

3. Students will demonstrate safe and professional standards involved in food preparation.

The Professional Baking & Patisserie A.S Degree provides a hands-on experiential foundation in the baking and pastry arts,including laminated dough, occasional cakes, cake design, artisan breads, confectionary, production desserts, advanced baking principles, menu planning, and café style savory foods. Coursework includes principles of food preparation, introduction to baking,advanced professional baking, artisan breads, cake decorating, pastry art, and chocolates, and sanitation, safety and equipment management, and coursework in General Education. These general education courses will enhance communication skills, improve critical thinking skills and help with a professional career in baking and patisserie. The Professional Baking and Patisserie degree is designed to prepare students for a career in the baking sector of culinary arts and/or to transfer to a CSU to complete a four-year degree.