Hi All,

I am in the Ottawa area, and am wondering which cake cours to take.
There are the Wilton courses offered at Micheals and there is also another course offered at one of the cake decorating stores.
I was wondering if they are comparable? The wilton ones are cheaper, but the local ones also use the Wilton methods, as I believe the instructor has taken the master courses at the Wilton school, they are done in one full day as opposed to being spread out over a few weeks.

Is there anyone who has done either one? Were you happy with what you learned?
I would appreciate any and all info on the subject...

another thing... are there certificates of completion or anything like that associated with the Wilton ones?

Hi I_luv_cake,

I live in Ottawa and took the cake decorating class at Artisic Cake Design. The instructor is Wilton taught and very good. It was a one day class. Check out their website for more info http://www.artisticcakedesign.ca. The one I took was the basic one so I learned how to do borders, the different types of tips, a couple of other basics and how to do roses and clowns. We were also given the icing recipe they use for their cakes. I also got a certificate at the end of the class.

HTH

I think it really depends on the instructor.

I think you'll find that with an independent instructor, they'll be less likely to push the Wilton products and more likely to give you the "tricks of the trade", so to speak.

I took an independent course and loved it! That certainly isn't to say that the Wilton course isn't great, because it certainly is!

Thanks for the info!
Has anyone attended the ottawa area michaels courses?

You should PM SUELA, I believe she's familiar with these courses.

the only thing with the one day class is that you are not learning by practising on 3 real cakes, i mean in the wilton classes you have to bring an iced cake to class each week. this is a great time to really learn how to ice your cake smoothly and have the instructor help you and suggest things that you may have overlooked. they make recommendations on wilton supplies but you only have to buy what you want to buy. a good instructor will show you how to do it with the tools or how not to. Tools only make things easier but they are not 100% necessary. anyway that is how i teach my classes. hope you get to take a class soon.

selina

Can't imagine learning in just one day all that I learned in 4 classes.....or would that be twelve (3 Wilton courses x 4 classes). I'd be on brain overload.

I agree, I couldn't imagine learning everything in one day that I learned in the Wiltons courses! Our instructor was wonderful, and she didn't push the wilton products at all. She was very helpful and full of alternative ideas! We even contacted her at her home number if we had additional questions, even after the course was over she told us we could contact her anytime if we had any problems or questions. I would say we really got our moneys worth out of the wiltons courses!

I agree, I couldn't imagine learning everything in one day that I learned in the Wiltons courses! Our instructor was wonderful, and she didn't push the wilton products at all. She was very helpful and full of alternative ideas! We even contacted her at her home number if we had additional questions, even after the course was over she told us we could contact her anytime if we had any problems or questions. I would say we really got our moneys worth out of the wiltons courses!

I think it all depends on the instructor that you have. I took course one at a local hobby lobby and really did not get anything from the instructor. I had to learn on my own. To this day...I am horrible with my roses. I wish she had not rushed through that part of the course.

I also think that with anything you decided to learn...a lot of it has to do with the practice and trial and error that you do on your own.

I think you would benefit from both classes. You could always do the one day class and if it is not enough...you could always take the Wilton classes.

I took a wilton's class back in '98 and one from a bakery store recently and what I was taught was totally different way of torting, filling and frosting the cake.

There are no Wilton Courses on offer anywhere near my location - the course books are available, just no instructors/instructions.

My suggestion - do the Wilton course....then., later on, take the local course.

Learning from someone who works and functions in the local economy and environment is VERY informative. Adaptions for the local circumstances, sources of materials, and, of course, NETWORKING is very interesting and necessary if you are going to run a business or pursue a hobby.

The benefit to you is growth, both as a professional and skilled artisan.

Remember, learning is a life-long process. Take advantage of everything you can!

Wow!
Thanks everyone for all your opinions and advice