Baking Schools

Find a baking school in your area.

From sophisticated génoise cakes and puff pastries, to traditional farmhouse bread and sugar cookies, the world of baking is an attractive venture for many culinary arts students.  Baking schools are the first step towards a rewarding career in the field of culinary arts or pastry making, providing specialized courses and a hands-on program of study. Famous chefs and bakers experienced their first successes with training and classes at a baking school, and many continue to teach and educate students through baking programs around the country.

Baking schools provide hands-on training so students can learn the fundamental skills in baking, cooking, and dessert preparation.  Instead of sitting in a classroom, students can learn through demonstrations, practice, and tests that require them to create various desserts, cakes, pastries, and apply different techniques.  Since many bakers and culinary artists pursue work in a professional environment or open their own business, baking schools also provide business and management courses.

Baking School Training and Career Opportunities
Baking programs give students the skills they need to succeed in restaurants, hotels, bakeries, catering, and cafeterias.  Lead bakers and pastry artists build their careers on experience, training, and ongoing education.  Those who choose to specialize in a particular niche may also choose to develop their own business during their career.  Common classes available at baking schools include:

• Basic Baking Technique
• Cakes and Wedding Cakes
• Sugar Decoration
• Puff Pastry Technique
• The Art of Individual Desserts
• Bread Making
• Working with Chocolate

Graduates of baking schools can look forward to a variety of rewarding career opportunities in the hospitality industry, grocery industry, or teaching; they also have options to start a business as a professional baker, or set up their own catering company. 

Famous Chefs and Bakers Who Attended Baking School
Baking programs and baking schools are usually a part of a comprehensive culinary arts program; culinary institutes across America feature a special program for baking and pastry arts students, and many students take at least two to three professional baking courses in order to become a professional chef.  A few famous chefs and bakers who attended baking school include:

• Emeril LaGasse ; the popular Food Network star attended the Johnson and Wales cooking school.  Baking & Pastry Arts programs here are available through the College of Culinary Arts.
• Julia Child ; her books and cooking shows have created a strong following for classic cooking and baking styles, and Julia Child learned many of her baking secrets from her training at the Cordon Bleu cooking school.
• Bobby Flay ; this Food Network star received training from The French Culinary Institute in New York City.  The Classic Pastry Arts program here teaches students how to start their pastry career in under nine months.

If you are interested in pursuing a career as a baker, the best way to prepare is to get a culinary degree. By attending any of the accredited Baking Schools listed below, you'll be preparing yourself for a career in various areas. Once you complete your baking studies, you will have the option of working in a bakery, restaurant, hotel, and even the rapidly growing segment of in-store supermarket bakeries. The baking programs at these culinary schools emphasize hands-on application of fundamental techniques and ingredients, which allows you to learn the basics while developing your own personal style. Browse the list of the Baking Schools suggested below and request complimentary information from the programs you're considering. School locations include San Francisco, Austin, Minneapolis, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and more.