Allie Friedman

Mrs. Basil
ELA-3
3 March 2016
Pastry Chef
Marian Keyes said, Baking makes me focus, on weighing sugar and sieving flour. I find
it calming and rewarding because, its sort of magic. The art of baking is to take several
different and separate ingredients, and combine them to make a personalized, edible masterpiece.
Because of this, I believe that baking is artistic and delicate. When I was young, I would always
play with my toy kitchen and make my family pretend eat my delectable plastic meals. And still
today, I am constantly asking to bake and dreaming of owning my own bakery. But I realize, to
achieve my goal, I need to know all of the information and requirements that will lead to my
success. I feel I am ready to face the many challenges that will make my dream a reality.
To be a Pastry Chef, I realize I will need to know what I would be doing on a daily basis
so I can thrive. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, there are two main types of
bakers: Commercial Bakers and Retail Bakers. A Commercial Baker works in a manufacturing
facility or a factory. They use automated equipment and machines to mass produce goods in a
consistent manner. There are usually up to 250 workers in one factory (U.S. Department of
Labor). On the other hand, a Retail Baker works in a small shop or bakery. They produce smaller
quantities of goods to serve customers. This type of baker uses smaller machines like mixers, and
has a wider variety of produced goods. Knowing this information, Ive decided to become a
Retail Baker, and not only work in a bakery, but own one. Even though there are things that

specific types of bakers do, there are also things that all bakers do. All pastry chef will measure,
weigh, and check the quality of ingredients (U.S. Department of Labor). Bakers will always use
ingredients like sugar, flour, eggs and yeast. They will also combine ingredients using methods
like whisking, folding or mixing, and will use equipment like ovens, electric mixers and dough
cutters. Every chef overall is responsible for cleaning their work space. If I went into this
occupation, I will be applying glazes, frostings, and toppings, and will be serving customers,
hiring and training staff, and maybe even creating new recipes (U.S. Department of Labor).
Because of my choice to be the owner a bakery, rather than just working in one, I will be setting
prices and deciding the amount to produce each day. For this job, and every job, I will need to
know , not only what Ill be doing, but where I will be doing it.
As a Pastry Chef, I will need to know what my work place will be like so I can grow and
get used working with people. Susan and Richard McDavid address the fact that work in a
bakery is stressful, in their book, Career Opportunities in Agriculture, Food and Natural
Resources. They say, Work is stressful, because of strict deadlines, time sensitive baking
procedures, and keeping a consistent quality (153). I know that I will also need to be focused at
work. This is because I will be making perfect decorations, and watching the oven for burning
(McDavid 153). Bakers are often tired because they stand for hours at a time while baking
(Fergusons 8). Working in a kitchen is also very dangerous. This is because they are constantly
lifting heavy bag of flour or sugar, using hot ovens, using sharp dough cutters and electric mixers
(Career Overview 2 of 3). To prevent likely injuries, chef usually wear back supporters, aprons,
and gloves Career Overview 2 of 3).If I want to be a Pastry Chef, I will also need to know the
average work schedule of a baker. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, most bakers work
full time and usually have to work on weekends or holidays (3 of 6). There are also countless

amounts of places that pastry chefs or bakers work. Because of their qualification in food
production, any work place that involves it is a place they can work. Bakers could work in hotels,
restaurants, factories, grocery stores, private schools and of course, bakeries (U.S. Department of
Labor). All chefs working in a kitchen will always be working with other chefs, because there are
many goods that need to be produced at one time. But as the owner of a bakery, I will have to
manage bills, salaries, and staff (U.S. Department of Labor). Because of this, I will be spending a
lot of time in an office or checking on employees. To follow my dream and become a bakery
owner, I will work a lot with numbers, so it would be helpful to also know how likely it will be
that I get my preferred job through baking statistics.
To start my career as a Pastry Chef, I will first need to know information about that field
overall. To begin, there are certain states and even countries that have a higher employment rate
than others. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, California has the most
employed bakers in the United States (4 of 6). California has 27,900 employed bakers on average
and Maryland has 9,100 employed bakers (U.S. Department of Labor). So, to pursue my dream
and own a bakery, it would be wise to move to a different state that has a higher employment
average. Some of the states in the U.S. that I am more likely to own a successful bakery in are
Texas, Washington, North Carolina and Illinois (U.S. Department of Labor). In addition, it
matters also, where I open the bakery in the state: meaning what type of work place. For
example, I would be more likely to get a job at a bakery, than a university or college because
bakeries have a 50,680 employment rate and colleges have only a 410 employment rate (U.S.
Department of Labor). Because of my preferred job to own a bakery as a Pastry Chef, and
bakeries have such a high rate of employment and so many more available jobs, it will not be

very difficult to find a job leading up to the ownership I am aiming for. It would be in my favor
to advance step by step to get to my goal.
For the occupation I have chosen, or any occupation, I cannot just graduate from high
school and automatically have my ideal job. There is quite a lot of education required for the job
in high school, college and even outside of school and certain high school classes that would be
beneficial in my first step as a baker and would help me to advance. To learn about Food
preparation and different baking techniques, I would need to take Family and Consumer science
and Foods classes (U.S. Department of Labor). I should also take Health classes so that I can
learn about sanitation and nutrition, and Chemistry classes to learn about properties, substances
and reactions like yeast. The most important classes that I would take are Math classes. These are
most important because they teach numbers, calculations, measurements, conversions, and ratios
(National Center for Onet Development 30 of 51). If I wanted to be a Bakery Maintenance
Engineer, I would also need to take a Shop class in order to learn about baking machinery like
ovens and mixers (Senker 83). College however, is a different story. The college or university
you go to determines most of your occupational future. If I want to pursue my dream of owning a
bakery, my best option is to achieve my Business Degree and then my Culinary Arts Bachelors
Degree. Most Culinary schools require a high school diploma. They usually last from one to two
years to cover all of the baking basics and sanitation procedures (U.S. Department of Labor).
Outside of school, there are also helpful education opportunities. To start getting work
experience in this field, I should get a part-time job at a neighborhood bakery (Thompson 141). I
should also get an apprenticeship or internship at a bakery or Culinary school while in college. I
can get training a community center so I can cover sanitation coursework. There are three types
of bakers based on education and experience. A Journey baker does not require any education but

needs one year of work experience (U.S. Department of Labor). A Certified baker requires four
years of education and thirty hours of sanitation coursework. And a Master baker needs eight
years of work experience, thirty hours of sanitation coursework, four years of education and
thirty hours of professional development education (U.S. Department of Labor). My education
may qualify me to work in a bakery, but to attain my goal of owning a bakery, I will need to
advance from job to job to make it to my desired level.
In order to be a baker who prospers, it would be a wise choice to progress from level to
level in order to fuel ownership. There are several different occupations involving baking all
leading up to the highest job: ownership. There are four main levels. I would first start as a
Bakers Apprentice (McDavid 154). This is when you are in the kitchen with the head chef
preparing ingredients and cleaning equipment (McDavid 154). The next level up is just a Baker
or Pastry Chef. This is just the average baking job where you produce goods (McDavid 154).
After you upgrade a few more times, the next level is Management. The manager hires and trains
staff and works alone, usually in an office (McDavid 155). For the occupation I have chosen, I
will not need to go through these levels. The next step, and the one I am aiming for, is
Ownership. I will first have to create a business plan and decide what type it will be (National
Center for Onet Development 31 of 51). I will also have to buy a bakery franchise and decide a
name for it. Opening a bakery comes with the responsibilities of considering location, space,
design, equipment, financing and suppliers (Student Scholarships 11 of 23). Career opportunities
in my chosen field are usually good because of constant upgrading and easier education
(Fergusons 7). As I advance in my career, I will also expect my earnings and salary to advance
and grow along with me.

As I acquire skills and advance to new levels and limits, I will also have to think about
my earning potential in this occupation. Bakers make the most money working in country clubs
or hotels, but my goal is to own my own bakery (Fergusons 10). If I achieve my goal, I need to
know that I will not be making the most amount of money I am qualified to make. Looking a
little bit bigger, Marylands average salary for a Pastry Chef was $11.35 hourly in 2014 (U.S.
Department of Labor). Marylands yearly low salary for a Baker is $17,130 and its high is
$42,110. Salaries usually range from $17,000 to $70,000 in the United States (U.S. Department
of Labor). The whole countrys average salary is $23,450 yearly and $13.36 hourly. At an entry
level, salaries are low starting at $10 an hour and $17,130 yearly (U.S. Department of Labor).
Knowing this information, I can choose a specific state in the U.S. that has a high earning
potential. Florida has an average pay of $55,000 yearly, Massachusetts has an average pay of
$52,643 yearly, and California has an average pay of $49,125 yearly (Pay Scale 1 of 2). Based on
this information, it would be wiser to open my bakery in Florida rather than Maryland because it
has a higher salary average. But, I have not chosen this occupation for the money, I have chosen
it because it makes me happy. Tips also affect the salary for all jobs, not only Pastry Chefs. The
average amount of tips in the U.S. is $.90 daily per person working in the service industry. An
above average tip is $2.83 and a below average tip is $.12 (Pay Scale 1 of 2). Both salaries and
tips vary, based on the size of the business, your employer, your experience and your job title.
My salary may also change as I transition to a different related occupation.
The requirements, conditions, and education for my chosen occupation allow my
potentiality in several related occupations involving food or food service. My education
requirements for a Pastry Chef grant my work in grocery stores, restaurants, specialty food
stores/services, food manufacturing, local and state government, colleges, hotels, and even

country clubs (Thompson 142). The requirements for the job I favor as a baker are to have a high
school Diploma, a Business Degree, a Culinary Bachelors Degree, knowledge of nutrition,
sanitation, food prep, knife cuts, and cooking techniques (U.S. Department of Labor). These also
allow me to be employed in a food production/manufacturing company (Thompson 142).
Grocery stores also require sanitation and people skills just like working at a bakery does.
There are kitchens in hotels, country clubs, universities, governments and of course, restaurants.
This means that all of these jobs are related occupations that as a Pastry Chef, I would qualify to
work there.