Pastry arts encompass the world of chocolate, pastries, cakes, cookies and confections. This is the reason why those who seek to work in the pastry industry can expect to work as executive pastry chefs, pastry cooks, chocolatiers, or boulangers. A chocolatier makes confectionery from chocolate and they have the skills of making chocolate, including tempering, molding, and making other pastry designs. They are different from chocolate makers who create chocolate from cacao beans and other ingredients. Some of the famous pastry chefs include Marie-Antoine Carême, Thaddeus Dubois and Jacques Torres. Carême, “The King of Chefs”, earned notoriety in Paris during the 19th century for his patisserie pieces and confections. He baked Napoleon’s wedding cake and dazzled King George IV of Britain during the Brighton’s Royal Pavilion.
For those who want to study the art of making pastries, Le Cordon Bleu is the oldest culinary arts school which was created in 1895. Julia Child, the world’s popular homemade chefs, is one of its famous students. The Culinary Institute of America was established in 1946. Its alumni include Anthony Bourdain, Michael Chiarello, Sara Moulton, cake genius Duff Goldman, and famous pastry chef En-Ming Hsu, who won the 2001 World Cup of Pastry. To be a well-known pastry chef, a diploma is not necessarily needed. But it is highly recommended because it demonstrates the chef’s expertise and knowledge in the art of pastry making.
