Hi Cake-Centralers....

I'm feeling bummed..majorly.
I hate my job where I'm at now, and I have been looking for a "Pastry" position- whether it be in a hotel, a bakery, restaurant, whatever. Well, I'm self-taught and never really worked in any of those places I just mentioned.

Oh, and I don't have a Culinary degree either. I'm in the process of trying to work that out in the meantime. Anyway, I've sent out my resume along with photos of my cakes and NOTHING! I feel as if nobody will give me a chance. Pastry is something I am VERY VERY passionate about and I will work my butt off!

Yes, I'm making my cakes on the side and getting paid for it...but I want to be in a career in something that I love. Not something that's just "paying the bills". I don't know if I'm making any sense...but thank you for letting me vent.

Unfortunately, culinary schools are graduating pastry chefs by the hundreds. Given the popularity of the FoodNetwork, it has become 'the thing to do'.

When it comes to cakes, and working in a cake studio or bakery, a portfolio may be all you need, but when it comes to pastry, well, a lot of high-end places want either a pastry degree or 3-5 years firm experience in a similar environment (hotel, high end dining with service, etc). Without a pastry degree or related experience, you usually have to work your way into a pastry position from some other low-level kitchen job. Even with a pastry degree you start out pretty low on the chain, at $10-12 an hour. And even then, those jobs are hard to come by--it's very competitive. Heck, even pastry INTERNSHIPS are competitive and sometimes require 2 or more trails to get.