About
Ah, dessert. And candy. And breakfast pastry. And everything in between. How I love you all. So much so that I decided to scrap everything and learn how to make you.
Though I happily went for a degree in graphic design right out of high school, and then spent a few years making a living this way, it wasn’t until I moved to New York and heard the siren call of the incredible restaurant world that I started to have second thoughts about my chosen profession. If you’ve ever been to a fine dining restaurant where they set a towering creation in front of you, you know what I mean. It puts a spell on you, and suddenly you imagine yourself all apron-ed up in a restaurant kitchen balancing a toque on your head while dotting butter cakes with ganache roses.
After about a year of hemming and hawing and indecision about making the switch, I decided what the hell, I’ll try out the pastry world and see what happens. But I didn’t know how to go about it. My experience with professional baking extended to watching the Food Network. I’ve never even waitressed. The restaurant business was as foreign to me as Alaskan crab fishing.
Sure, pastry school was a possibility, but if I wanted to go to the program at the famous Culinary Institute of America, I needed some back-of-the-house experience under my belt. (Apparently, they want you to know the difference between the kitchen reality and the overly-romanticized kitchen fantasy before committing thousands of dollars and years of your life to this pursuit. Rightfully so.)
Armed with a list of my top New York City restaurant choices, I began the dreaded cold-calling. Starting with the places closest to my apartment, I dialed nervously and asked to speak to the pastry chef. Some I couldn’t get on the phone. Others seemed to think I was a crazy nut, coming out of the woodwork to infiltrate their kitchen. Finally I got the ear of one open minded chef of Gotham Bar and Grill and I awkwardly explained that I was interested in getting into the profession, and would he be willing to let me intern there, for free, of course. Though he was hesitant, he said he’d be willing to try me out for one day and told me to come in that Friday. A tryout to be an unpaid intern? A funny notion, but now I had my foot in the door! I was flying as high as if I’d just eaten a dozen Snickers.
What I learned that first day is that baking in a restaurant is nothing like baking at home. The quantities are mammoth. I felt like some steel welder handling equipment that weighed as much as a car. There was the giant Hobart mixing bowl that held 50 lbs of dough, the industrial rolling pin that was so heavy, it pulled you forward with every roll, the pastry bag was so big and unwieldy, I felt like I was wrangling a just-caught tuna. The batter dribbled all over my clogs.
And everything had to be done super fast, a constant race against the clock. There is tremendous time pressure in a restaurant kitchen. Not being ready for dinner service meant falling down the rabbit hole. Pure panic.
At first, I was asked to do menial tasks, to see how I handled them, things like separating dozens of eggs, or pitting a whole case of cherries. Though some people might have bristled, I LOVED it, and was thrilled to be working with food in any way. Out of the corner of my eye I’d watch the gorgeous, sculptured plates get whisked out to the waiting lunch crowd.
Luckily I impressed the chef just enough in those first few hours, at least with my work ethic, if not my experience, that he offered me the opportunity to come in a few mornings a week to help out and learn. When a real position opened up a few months later, the chef offered me the job. That was the beginning of my illustrious pastry career. For the next few years I spent time in kitchens all over New York, sucking up as much info as possible, reading tons of books, and getting all-around, hands-on experience. I worked my way up through the ranks from pastry assistant, to sous-chef to executive pastry chef. I worked in small, intimate places and huge hotel restaurants. I did it with drive, determination and passion for about 8 years until something shifted. Both in my back and in my brain.
Spending 75 hours a week in a kitchen eventually took a toll. My back started to give out, I missed seeing friends and family, the light of day and a more traditional life. I started to step back from the professional kitchen.
I still love baking. I’ll never stop doing it. I love to see what other chefs are doing in the industry and I still go out to eat often to try their latest creations, but I think for me, baking is now best left as a hobby. This is a hobby that’s most fun when you share it with other people. It’s great to see what everyone else is pulling out of the oven, and to chat about it, so it seemed natural for me to put up a baking site.
When I was still learning, I found it easiest to nail a recipe when someone first demonstrated how to do it. Then I would try it and invariably mess something up. But those mistakes gave me the knowledge to know what to look out for next time. I was able to see what happened when I added too much flour, or left sugar bubbling on the stove too long, or overwhipped egg whites. I was able to hone my skills through trial and error.
This site is meant to be useful, and hopefully foolproof, for anyone who is new to baking. There are detailed photos of the whole process for every recipe, guiding you every step of the way. If I make a mistake, I post it, so you know what it should NOT look like. I want you to have professional results every time. If you’re not new to baking, then I hope to tempt you into simply making some of these recipes, and share them with anyone who loves desserts as much as I do.
Thanks for visiting my site. I hope you’ll stay and bake with me. And please feel free to email me with any questions, comments, insights, pastry creations, recipe suggestions or whatever else is on your mind.
Irina
After working in advertising for a few years, I got the crazy idea that I wanted to start over and become a pastry chef. And for 8 years that's exactly what I did, working in some of the best fine dining restaurants in New York City. Though I'm now semi-retired from the professional kitchen, I still love to bake (and teach) at home. With this blog, I want to make great desserts for my own delicious good time and also show you how to get a great result with step-by-step photos. So get out your rolling pin and join in.
I admire your courage and your passion for fine food .
Although i am not a professional cook ( I am musician), i spent all my free time in kitchen – baking , cooking experimenting… I would love to learn from you new recipes- anything i haven’t done before.I would definitely try .
I live in Melbourne ( Australia) and i am your folks school friend.
With best regards
Batia
I just got a BA in Architecture but I LOVE baking. I bake one or five new recipes every night. I’m trying to get my foot in the door, too, but I really need a paid job at this point in my life (gotta pay off loans). Any suggestions at all?
I love your blog so far. The recipes look excellent. Thanks!
Hi Marilynn,
Thanks for reading and commenting. It’s a pleasure to “meet” new readers!
If you want to try the pastry career and get paid, I have 2 suggestions:
1) Fine dining restaurants usually choose someone with some experience or at least a school certificate in pastry, so you need to build up your resume in any way. You can take a couple of day classes and list those. You can call around local bakeries or pastry shops, and see if they’re hiring any baking assistants. Check craigslist, as I often see calls for bakery help there. Just about any kitchen considering hiring you will ask you to come in for a day and “trail.” This means you are basically auditioning, working for free for 1 day, so be as helpful and speedy as possible.
2) If you already have a job in an unrelated field, keep it for now, and ask a great restaurant or bakery to let you come in maybe once or twice a week to intern and help out for free. You don’t need to do it for more than a few months, and then you have something to add to your resume. This will also give you a good idea of what it’s really like and whether it’s for you. Other excellent restaurants love to see that you’ve spent time in a renowned restaurant.
Once you have a thing or two on your resume, you can choose 10 or 15 places you’d really like to work, find out the names of the pastry chefs, and send them a cover letter, explaining your passion, desire to learn, and what you’ve been baking. And your freshly baked resume.
Hope this helps!
Wow, that is so helpful! Thanks for taking the time to post back. I don’t have a paid job yet, and have been searching for baking jobs on craigslist. I sent a lot of emails but I fear my lack of experience on my resume is a turn off. I’m thinking of meeting people in person at a bakery this weekend–maybe my personality and enthusiasm will help
I will try to intern or help out as much as possible and take day classes whenever I can afford it. Thanks again!! I hope you’re having fun baking whatever you are baking for today!
Wonderful detailed description of your path into professional baking. I’m a part-time culinary (baking & pastry arts program) student, who used to work in publishing (a full-time mom now too) and I really appreciate all the info and advice you’ve provided here. A great site you have here, PastryPal! I will most definitely be back!
Jane
Thank you so much for creating this blog! The photos are beautiful and the step by step detailed instructions are very well written. Really enjoy your writing style. Hope you add more recipes.
I so relate to the broken back. I woke up this morning and tried to stretch it and got stuck. Like 4 times out 5 nowadays. That’s the only thing that makes me feel old before my age now!!
Beautiful blog! Happy to have you join the sweet bloggosphere!
I don’t believe it!!! The same story like mine, only I studied electrical engineering, and for about 2 months I have finished my official education to be a cook (in Germany). And I have back pains just like you:)…
Viele herzliche Grüße aus Deutschland!!!
I am thanking the great gods above for finding this blog.
I too am a graphic designer and just wish I could work as a pastry chef. I have been toying with the thought of going to school for it. I didn’t really know HOW to go about doing it. But after reading your story and realizing that someone in the exact same position of me had the same dreams and achieved them, I realize now that it can happen. Do you suggest moving to a bigger city so that there are more options to intern?
Thank you so so much. I must rest now, I cooked thanksgiving dinner along with 7 pies!
Hi Margo, I don’t think it’s necessary to move to another city, unless you want to. There may be great opportunities where you are. Once can be quite happy anywhere that allows them to bake
Good luck and Happy Thanksgiving.
I’ve worked as a graphic designer and illustrator for some time now but want to go into a career involving writing and food. My dream is to someday open my own bakeshop. The thing is I did all the paperwork last year to establish an LLC, but at this point, I want to relocate and get more experience in skilled work before taking the full plunge into business. I am thinking of relocating to Toronto from Los Angeles, to go to George Brown College for their pastry arts and management program. That semester starts in Sept. of this year.
I love reading your blog and I find your about me section very inspiring. As I mentioned, I would love to train in becoming a skilled pastry chef. I am self-taught, at the moment, and I have no commercial kitchen experience, so I know I need to start somewhere before taking the culinary school plunge. It feels overwhelming because I know so many bakeries are looking for skilled hire and help and I’ve never liked anything that’s resembled “cold calling” or “cold visiting” but I know that’s what it will take to get my food in the door until someone is willing to give me a chance to learn something in a professional environment.
I just started a food blog to keep my inspiration going for all things food-related.
Again, your story is truly inspiring!
how funny! i too used to work in advertising as a graphic designer… then quit, moved away, and have just started my second quarter of pastry school. it is tiring, hard and definitely overwhelming at times but so worth it!
Dearest Irina,
I admire your beautiful writing and attention to the details… I am savoring and enjoying each pastry just by reading your blog… It’s a pure joy and I hope, one day, it would be published as a book and available to the masses… Well done and keep writing!
All the best,
Rita Katselnik
I enjoy reading your writing and learning from your demonstration.
Your humorous jokes and Right-Wrong Example make your site unique and fun.
I’m one of those girl who like baking and want to open my own bakeshopsame someday as “Allyson”
Once I took basic cooking class on weekends as hobby but now I’m choosing between two things: salary and dream.
I think to apply to intern in some bakeshop. Hope to find an opended mind chef.
All I can say is, I can’t wait till your next post. By the way, did you end up going to culinary school or was it all practical training in real restaurant kitchens?
Wow. The courage, the determination, the hard work, and then the wisdom to know when to call it quits. Impressive. This blog is fantastic, but I bet it too must break your back (metaphorically speaking). Great recipes, detailed process photos and witty writing are hard to produce on a regular basis. From a completely selfish perspective, I hope you have the same stamina and endurance for blogging as you did for restaurant work.
I’m a mom, a blogger, and a Ph.D. student, and I need your help. I’m doing a study about why women blog, and you have been selected at random to participate in a short survey about what motivates you to blog and what you get out of blogging.
Here is the link: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s/231228/women-bloggers
Thanks in advance for your help. Feel free to contact me at gmmasull@syr.edu if you have any questions.
Gina Chen
Ph.D. student
S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
Syracuse University
I love reading your blog and I find your about me section very inspiring. As I mentioned, I would love to train in becoming a skilled pastry chef. I am self-taught, at the moment, and I have no commercial kitchen experience, so I know I need to start somewhere before taking the culinary school plunge. It feels overwhelming because I know so many bakeries are looking for skilled hire and help and I’ve never liked anything that’s resembled “cold calling” or “cold visiting” but I know that’s what it will take to get my food in the door until someone is willing to give me a chance to learn something in a professional environment.
+1
I’ve loved reading about your experience and determination to learn am twenty three and am really keen on learning how to bake and how generally cook.. i feel like i would love to take it up professionally but i guess for now am going to try and read and soak up as much info as i can till i feel confident enough to go all out with this.