How to learn to be a baker?

[lynnerself]

A co worker said today that her daughter (in 8th grade) has the career goal of owning a bakery. Any ideas on how one would actually go about realizing that goal?

Do you think you would need college (business classes)?

[thyme4change]

There are two distinct set of skills at work here. The key to making it work is being at worst good at both of them - even better if you are excellent at both of them. I always suggest people take business classes if they think they are going to own their own business. It may help them to figure out profitability and ways to make sure their business is working for them. My U had an Entrepreneur program - maybe she could find something like that.

Of course, that is only half the battle! Culinary schools have baker programs - pricey! But, baking is a science - so learning how to do it right is so important.

I would suggest she finds a family owned bakery (not the bakery in a huge grocery chain) and see if she can start working there when she is 15 or 16 (whatever the legal age is.) She won't make much money - but she will get a sense if that is what she really wants to do, and they may teach her the basics - sort of an apprentice ship. She most likely will start working the register and washing the dishes. But, if she has a passion for the industry, she will learn from being in the shop.

In 8th grade, baking is a pretty common hobby. You get all these yummy carbs and sweet desserts. It is a "total process" - you start with flour and end with a finish product and rave reviews. Probably 1% of the people who say they want to be a baker actually end up wanting to do that for a living. The hours are long, start early, include weekends, and the pay is pretty lousy. Pretty much 100% of your time is on your feet, and there is a lot of mess and cleaning involved. Young girls believe it is all cupcakes and cookies and wouldn't it be fun...but I think it is a pretty brutal career. God bless those that love it and do it - but I take every 8th grade career goal with a grain of salt.

[alabamagal]

working in a bakery would be great.

Is this kid in a large school district? My nephew (in S.FL) actually took a culinary arts program in high school. They have nothing like that where I live though

[sbcalimom]

It depends on the culinary program, but there are definitely ones that specialize in pastries, cakes, or more bakery-centered items. A lot of programs also too have a business component to them since a lot of their students hope or intend to start up their own shops.

One thing she could do now is take the Wilton's Cake Decorating courses. A lot of cake decorating stores offer them and some Michael's Craft Stores do. When I took the series, there was a girl who was maybe a tad older (lie 15-16) who was taking the courses because she wanted to be a pastry chef. She was really, really good and actually started selling her cakes by the end of the 2nd class.

[thyme4change]

Another thing she and her mother could do is start a business. They can advertise their services among friends and family, and basically sell them baked goods at cost. This would give her time to develop her craft. She could just open a facebook page and offer a "baked good of the week." And just ask adults to "like" the page. She could post on Thursday night "This weekend I will be baking fresh apple coffee cake. They are 8x8. If you would like to purchase one for $6, let me know by replying to this post, and I will get it to you." And then Friday night and Saturday, they bake as many apple coffee cakes as are ordered. The next weekend - white chocolate, oatmeal cranberry cookies. Sold by the dozen.

Seriously - I'm totally hungry now.

[Opti]

Oct 25, 2012 17:04:45 GMT -5 lynnerself said:

A co worker said today that her daughter (in 8th grade) has the career goal of owning a bakery. Any ideas on how one would actually go about realizing that goal?

Do you think you would need college (business classes)?

I would suggest she finds a family owned bakery (not the bakery in a huge grocery chain) and see if she can start working there when she is 15 or 16 (whatever the legal age is.) She won't make much money - but she will get a sense if that is what she really wants to do, and they may teach her the basics - sort of an apprentice ship. She most likely will start working the register and washing the dishes. But, if she has a passion for the industry, she will learn from being in the shop.

I strongly agree with what Thyme said above. I worked in a family bakery at that age and the son who took it over probably did not take business classes. However, it was third generation by then and many processes were in place.

The best thing is to work at a bakery to get a feel whether it is something you are really interested in doing. Plus you will need to figure out how you are going to raise the money to buy a bakery or get enough money you can buy your way in as a partner. Depending on the kind of bakery it is the owner might be both the head business person and the head baker.

[tskeeter]

I vote work in a bakery. Baking sounds like fun until you start going to work at 1 AM, spend hours and hours lifting heavy bowls and pans in a hot bakery, and all of the things that go into being a baker. Although culinary school will teach you how to bake, I don't think it gives you enough real world experience to really understand what 30 or 40 years of a midnight to noon schedule in a hot bakery will be like.

That's what I did as a kid. I liked to cook and bake. So I got a job as a dishwasher for the dining room of a small hotel. By my 16th birthday I was running the kitchen and bakery, training my assistants, ordering groceries, scheduling servers, and the like. (Small towns in tourist areas create unusual opportunities.) The owner of the hotel took a liking to me, so he taught me a lot about running the business. From how to cost your menu and how to control your costs to managing staff. Even though I was better than average at it, I learned that I didn't want to work as a cook or baker for a living. Or even manage or own a restaurant.

As far as business school is concerned, I wouldn't bother. I went to business school in order to become an accountant. I think you can learn a lot more about running a business by working for some smart, successful business people than you can going to business school. What sets me apart as an accountant isn't what I learned in college, it's what I learned about thinking like a small business person before I went to college.

[Deleted]

Rather than owning a bakery, she should position herself to be a baking personality. Joy the Baker (whom my wife is obsessed with) has made baking her job by becoming a personality. It is really interesting.

[resolution]

Is there a technical high school in your area with a good culinary program? When I lived in the city we had one high school that operated a restaurant on campus so their culinary students could cook and learn restaurant management. We used to eat there about once a month. You may be able to find something like that geared more toward baking.

[lynnerself]

Oct 25, 2012 19:16:52 GMT -5 resolution said:

Is there a technical high school in your area with a good culinary program? When I lived in the city we had one high school that operated a restaurant on campus so their culinary students could cook and learn restaurant management. We used to eat there about once a month. You may be able to find something like that geared more toward baking.

Not exactly that, but there is a class/program at one high school that actually caters events.

[Tiny]

I was a 'counter girl' in an old fashion family owned Bohemian Bakery in HS and Jr. College. I'd LOVE to work in an old fashion bakery again. Best job I ever had.

That said... there's two things at play - one is perhaps knowing how to bake (the skills for how to make 200 coffee cakes or how to create custom wedding cakes). There are culinary schools when you can major in something like 'pastry chef'. A friend of my neice did this. she's a Pastry Chef. Her long term goal is to someday own a business of her own: Bakery, Catering, or Restaurant. The second part of this is the business side. Again my neices friend has this covered as she double majored and has the business degree to go with her Pastry Chef degree (can't for the life of me remember the name of the degree - she is currently working in her field - restaurant Pastry chef- y stuff).

I'd encourage the kid (from the OP) to start learning about cooking. Start exploring and experimenting. I'd also start encouraging the kid's entrepeneural skills/thinking.
A successful business is awhole lot more than just have fantastic things to sell.

[Mardi Gras Audrey]

Tell her start baking and send some samples to me. I'll let her know if she has a career ahead of her... I might need awhile to decide though so if she can just keep sending samples, that would be great... ;D

[Deleted]

Technical colleges have culinary programs. 2 years & the kids I know that went through have been successful getting jobs in restaurants. Not sure if they are thrilled with the pay, but they are getting the kitchen jobs.

[swamp]

I believe Malarky is a baker and manages a bakery. Try sending her a PM. She's friendly.

[Wisconsin Beth]

Oct 26, 2012 6:30:56 GMT -5 swamp said:

I believe Malarky is a baker and manages a bakery. Try sending her a PM. She's friendly.

I second this. I didn't remember who but I know we have someone here who is a baker w/ a bakery.

[thyme4change]

30 or 40 years of a midnight to noon schedule in a hot bakery will be like

[mandyms]

I second/third the "apprenticeship" approach to learn the ins and outs. Taking some business classes/getting a business as well would be great college wise if she's really serious about it.

I DO NOT agree with post-secondary culinary schools as an avenue. Both my brother and SIL went to a pretty well know culinary arts school. Brother is now a truck driver and SIL works in the bakery department at a grocery store. Individual cases, I know, but they are paying back student loans for this; all that classroom experience could have been learned in a restaurant for a lot less money.

[thyme4change]

Our community college system has a 2 year program for baking and cooking. They also have restarant management classes. All for a bargain! What state is this gal in? Maybe she would like to move to Maricopa County for one of the best community college systems in the country.