The best thing I ever did (outside of marrying my husband and giving birth to two outstanding young women) was to go to culinary school!
But that decision to go came late in my life. Very late! I was in my forties. I was a 40-something woman, sitting in class, jostling with my brain to "keep up and take all of this in!" Especially the written parts. I didn't have to barter with my brain on the practical stuff - that came easy. Because, gosh darn it, I had always been fascinated by jocondes and genoises and that other thing Julia (as in Child) did with her crepes - enough so that my brain just simply seeped it all in!
But would I do it all over again? Yes! However, I'd make one small tweak:
As I was an older budding chef - I would have tweaked going to culinary school and opted for taking pastry courses through a private program instead. We all know that culinary school is very expensive and now looking back on it, I would have been just as satisfied learning one or two pastry skills at far less cost than what I ended up paying for at culinary school.
This is the very reason why I developed The Patissier Program. I know that there are many aspiring (pastry) chefs out there who want to go to culinary school but cannot afford it! And even if they can afford it, the truth is that the return on the investment is very low, as newly minted culinary school graduates earn a fraction of what it costs to go to culinary! A recent culinary school grad would have to spend years working their way up the kitchen line before they could even begin to dream of realizing their investment in a culinary education. Even though I highly recommend culinary school, I would advise anyone to try taking a course or two, that teaches the basics and furthermore, work for free at a few local restaurants and bakeries before going full hog and invest in culinary school. This way, you get to measure if you have the muster to cut it in the culinary world and more importantly and simply…if you like it! I've always said to folks that it's the passion that drives me! Nothing else! I love food, I love my hands in food (the ingredients) and I get bored and grouchy when I'm not in the kitchen creating! If you recognize the same traits that I have in yourself - then you need to sign up now for formal training!
What does a basic pastry course with The Patissier Program give you?
- it gives you an understanding of a commercial kitchen, discipline, kitchen hierarchy, speed, safety, building physical stamina and getting used to tough schedules.
- it teaches participants French pastry terms and techniques.
- it gives you a launching pad and confidence to work as a pastry assistant in any pastry food establishment at a fraction of the cost of culinary school!
- The Patissier Program gives participants private, first rate lessons from a trained and experienced pasty chef.
Homeshed Kitchens is a small socially and environmentally conscious bakery and catering company. Jeanette Warne, its founder and pastry chef is an avid food lover and supporter of sustainable foods! The chef is a native of Sierra Leone, a small West African country, where food is enjoyed at a local level. "Everyone cooked with fresh ingredients everyday and we always knew where our food came from, because each one of those artisans grew, cultivated, or harvested their respective products. This artisan way of life, connection to our food source and growers", the chef recounts of her childhood growing up in the lush Sierra Leone.
Chef Jeanette is a graduate of L'academie de Cuisine's Pastry Arts Culinary Program (with Distinction). She has lived in France and Europe and now resides with her family in Ellicott City, Maryland.
For more information about The Patissier Program, visit the website at www.homeshedkitchens.com
