He studied at the Corcoran School in Washington, D.C., the University of Maryland and the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, California. He has worked under many great Chefs, including; Chef Cindy Wolfe, Chef Steven Durfee, Chef Jessie Llapitan, Chef Jason Rogers, Chef Todd English, and Chef Steve Mannino. Duff has worked as the Executive Pastry Chef of the Vail Cascade Hotel and Resort in the mountains of Vail, Colorado.
In 2000, Chef Duff moved to Baltimore to open Charm City Cakes. He is also an artist, a sculptor and musician. He and his staff are the stars of the Food Network series, Ace of Cakes.
So now you’re asking yourself, “how can I have a totally cool awesome Pastry Chef career like Duff Goldman?”
What do Pastry Chefs do?
A Pastry Chef works in a professional kitchen, specializing in making pastries, desserts and other baked food. Pastry Chefs prepare food (pertaining to pastries and desserts) for meals. They may develop recipes and new concoctions. The actual planning of the entire meal is usually done by a higher up Chef whose job it is to do the meal planning. The Pastry Chef is in charge of the pastry menu. Every day a Pastry Chef needs to plan and prepare, as each dessert has its own separate set of requirements for preparation.
The every day life of a Pastry Chef might include: overseeing staff, ordering supplies to keep the kitchen stocked, preparing baked goods, decorating pastries and keeping the kitchen and equipment clean and organized.
What Education is needed to be a Pastry Chef?
Pastry Chefs will need certain skills that they can obtain by attending a Culinary School. Some examples of these skills are;
Culinary Talent - Baking is part of the job, so a Pastry Chef better be good at it (or they should go find another profession)!Potential Pastry Chefs need to enroll in Culinary School. Educational paths in the pastry arts include Baking and Pastry Certificate, Associates Degree in Applied Science Culinary Arts, Bachelor of Arts Degree in Culinary Arts.
Originality and Creativity - In order for their good to sell, Pastry Chefs need to make it look good.
Detail Oriented - It has to look good, it has to taste good. Pastry Chefs are the magicians who make it all happen, and the best Chefs are the one who have a keen eye and a keen sense of taste and use both of these to perfect their product.
Customer Service - Whether it’s serving goods to another company or to face to face customers, Pastry Chefs need to hone their customer service skills as well. Baking is only half the job, the other half is getting the goods out the door and a happy, outgoing confident personality definitely helps.
Stamina - Being a Pastry Chef is quite physically demanding. It requires a day’s worth of work on your feet. There may be lifting, bending and straining when physically working with baked goods. There are odd hours, even 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning because Pastry Chefs need to being baking early before customers arrive.
The Certificate program is mainly to prepare potential Pastry Chefs for entry level positions. The Associate and 4-Year Bachelor Degree programs include pastry courses and general education courses, as well as elective courses for a more rounded education. All programs, however, include both classroom study and hands-on baking experiences in their curriculum.
Most curriculum include classes of biology, physiology and history. These may not seem important to baking, but they actually are. It is important to learn how to keep germs out of the kitchen and correct care the minimize bacteria growth. It is also important to learn proper handling of food, especially eggs, cream and butter, which are foods that Pastry Chefs use frequently in their products. A Pastry Chef who understands the history behind their product can better produce their own goods. All Chefs need to learn the techniques of measuring raw ingredients and properly handling kitchen tools. There are correct methods of cooking and baking, and all these will be learned in Culinary School.
Who do Pastry Chefs work for?
The Pastry Chef is part of a larger staff of Chefs. Pastry Chefs work for large hotels, restaurants and bakeries. They may serve dinners, work in a shop where customers come in, or they may cater. In the case of Chef Duff Goldman and Charm City Cakes, sometimes they even start their own businesses.
Are there any Specializations in the Pastry Chef World?
Believe it or not, even with Pastry Chef being a subcategory of the cooking industry, it does get even more detailed. Pastry Chefs may specialize in different kinds of pastries. They may also have people to work under them who have certain pastry specializations.
What Environment do Pastry Chefs work in?
Pastry Chefs work in a kitchen environment. Lifting, even heavy lifting, may be involved. Equipment used by Pastry Chefs may consist of bake ware of any sort from a spatula to a floor mixer.
What is the Potential Pay for a Pastry Chef?
Full time Pastry Chefs have the potential to make:
Entry Level Pastry Chef / Helper $8.00 / hourOf course, figures vary by region, education, specialization and experience.
Assistant Pastry Chef $24,000 - $45,000 / year
Executive Pastry Chef $36,000 - $69,000 / year
