Im so sorry if this is in the wrong spot! I didnât see a âintroduce yourself areaââ¦.


Hi there,

My name is Stephanie and im 20 years old. I work for my dadâs hotrod shop in Mansfield Texas for 3 years. I love the shop I work for but, I work for my father. If any of you works with your parents you know how hard it can be! I have tried thinking about what I want to do in life as a career. I tried allot of things and got bored or disinterested.
Baking cakes, cookies, cupcakes and sweets is almost a high for me. I love to see the faces on my loved ones and people I donât even know when they eat something I made & fall in love with my creation. I have only worked with mostly boxed cakes. I donât have an artistic bone in my body but I love art and cake art is something I desperately want to learn.
Yesterday I looked up all the custom cake shops in Arlington TX and talked to 3 cake shops. So this is what I got from it. First I need to start off with Michaels baking classes. Then go to any cake shop that will allow me to work for free on Saturdays and sweep floors and clean. (This is so I can get a feel of how things are done. Then maybe after a little while they will let me start baking. Id be willing to pay for the things I use!
Almost every person I talk to say doesnât go to school and spend thousands of dollars because they really donât teach you anything you will use in the kitchen. (but they teach you the science). IV always dreamed of owning my own little cake shop in a small old downtown somewhere. My cakes would be every shape size and color. I want to do wedding cakes, birthday cakes, fish cakes, cakes shaped like a car, cakes shaped like animals. Whatever you can imagine and I want to be good. (Which I know will take years.

So here is my question to all of you wonderful knowledgeable bakers, artist, crazyâs (iv heard u have to be a little on the weird side to be in this industry, which is a good thing for me! ;0)â

1.  What do you all think of my plane to start this career?
2.  Do I have to know how to draw at first to be any good? (im thinking this will come with experience)
3.  how much did all of you make at first verses now that you own a shop or run a shop?
4.  What do you all think of how I think on everything.

All in all im just looking for advise. I want to do my own thing not what will make my dad happy. I want to know what you all have to say so there is no wrong answer.
Im extremely sorry for this long novel, spelling and grammar (this is why I need to get away with the secretary job I have now!) But you all are the best that I know of so please help me.


Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this! God bless you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love,
The young, thirsty for knowledge, Willing to listen and learn
Stephanie

Watch for a legitimate opening in a shop, as a clerk or whatever. You will learn tons. But watch and take a real job with real starting pay. You will then gain 'experience', a marketable skill and you can move up in that shop or move into another shop.

What some folks are referencing about working for free is called staging pronounced stahjing. I think staging is best used to interview a candidate for employment.

No need to do that when you can easily get a counter job in a bakery--watch the newspaper, make the rounds. Just say you are fascinated with bakeries and baking and you'd like some extra income. I would not mention your dream at first.

Welcome to Cake Central. Michaels has decorating classes, not baking. you can learn to bake on your own. Just get a good cookbook and start trying some basic recipes, chocolate yellow and white are the basis for many other recipes. Find those 3 reliable recipes and you are half way there.

Unfortunately, you live in Texas. It is not legal in Texas to sell home baked goods. You have to work from a licensed kitchen. In some areas, you can build a second kitchen to work from 'home'.

They are correct that you need not spend thousands on school, but if you had money lying around, a baking/pastry program might be useful if you need baking skills.

It isn't a field that will get you rich quick, and it can be very long hours. Find a baker who might let you shadow for a day or two.

Yes i would like to find as many design classes as possible!!! I WANT TO LEARN THE TRICKS AND TECKNICKS OF ALL KINDS. im going to the library today to see if I can pick up some tapes and books on cake decorating and baking.

I never want to stop learning. I wish I knew of more cake classes besides Michaelsâ¦.

thank you guys alot. every new thing i learn means alot to me!

If you ever get a chance to take a class from Brownwen Weber TAKE IT!!! I got in her clown cake class in Arkansas this year. It was fab-u-lous!!

Jennifer Dontz who is JenniferMI on this board does some great traveling flower making classes too. And Sugarshack, SharonZ has some great classes--both ladies have dvd's now.

Our Tonedna or maybe it's Toedna has some free lessons on flowers on utube right here through the board. Her for real name is Edna and she is very cool.

BrandisBaked has a utube thing too.

Just keep surfing this board.

And of course check the articles tab up there ^^^

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=110249

This link ^^^ is a whole slew of baking/caking material. I even wrote one.

You know I find it so amazing how helpful everyone has been. its like every shop i called was so helpful in giving me advise. I was so scared no one would talk to me or want to give me the time of day. This industry makes me feel so much at peace. im in a industry with negativity always around... but then again I do work with men! Ahahahahahha


How do i find out about classes that are near me? thank you so much for helping me. Im giving you a e huge

There's a forum on this board that is called 'Events' keep your eye on that. Oh I forgot a biggee

http://ices.org/

There's local cake clubs and the big international cake show--is it in Orlando this year?

You wanna get in with your local cake shops they hear about and sponsor people to come & demo. You wanna meet some cake buddies in your area that can keep you posted. Your ICES rep will email about stuff too.

omg i love you hahahah!!!!!!

I just hope you know that you arnt just helping me by this. i hope you have a wonderful weekend and i will be back monday. maybe sat!

Sounds like you are in the same boat I was in! (I worked for my father, too... )

I did some extensive research on this subject when I was in high school and I decided the best way to gain extensive knowledge is to take rec classes. If you have a local culinary school, sometimes they offer side classes that dont count towards a degree or anything, but you can pick up some of the science behind things there. Also, check and see if any of your local bakeries do classes as well. If you dont find anything, check some of the higher end restaurants to see if you can shadow them for awhile.

Luckily I have a longtime friend who works in a 4 star restaurant and he let me shadow him for awhile. Learned a lot from it, in fact scored a date from it!

Books and tapes are always good, too, and most importantly, playing around in your kitchen. You dont realize how much experience you gain just by baking and decorating a simple cake!

Jasmine

Oh and always remember you'll learn something new from everyone you learn under... You can take the same class in 3 different places and learn a different technique in each place.

Jasmine

I'm so glad you're interested. It can be very fun, and even more stressful. I'm just more of a hobby baker ( not licensed yet), but I still have nightmares the night before I have to deliver a cake. I am completely self taught, but I have learned a lot from this website. And by the way it is completely addicting. As far as the art side of it, I believe you have to at least have an eye for design, the rest can always be learned. For me personally I'm more of an artist, and the cake is my medium. I'm glad you're here, have fun, and welcome. This is a great community.

Jeez yall make me feel so warm and fuzzy! i feel so good about this!

I know yall prob get like a million people asking this but for someone who hasnât really had experience in decorating, would the betty Crocker cake decorating kit be a smart buy for at home practice?