Wilton Classes V. Cake Decorating Shop Classes
Decorating By stormy2500 Updated 10 Jul 2007 , 5:38am by kcat3740
I have taken class 1 of Wilton over 1 year ago. I really enjoyed it, but I somewhat felt it went a little fast since it's only a 4 week class.
I am wanting to restart classes again from the beginning since it has been a while since I last took the class.
So here's my question: Am I better off taking the Wilton class again, which is 4 weeks or taking the beginning decorating class from my local cake decorating store that is a 7 week class?
In my opinion, I would try the cake shop. You aleady know what goes on in the Wilton class. It may be a more expensive class but the instructor can show you other stuff than the Wilton way. I am going to sign up for a class at my cake shop at the end of the month. It is a 6 week class and they give you 10% off stuff. Also, talk to the store owner or manager to get details on the class. This stores manager is the daughter of the owner so she was very helpful. Whenever I go in there she says oh try a class you will like it. They also teach cookies, candy, foundant and gumpaste classes. Good luck and have fun!
PS I have taken all 3 wilton classes.
I would suggest doing the local cake decorating store. To me, Wilton's was a great coarse to get you started but somethings you just don't learn from them that you might learn from someone who's not limited to "what the book says". I know from working with someone who's been in the business from quite sometime, that they have picked up tricks that really help that you won't really learn in Wilton's. Hope you enjoy your classes either way though.
I have to agree with the others. I've taken all 3 Wilton courses and enjoyed every minute of them. A cake shop that I go to also had courses and I believe they spent more hands-on time than we did. The owner/instructor at the shop (32 years of experience) told me people liked her classes more than the Wilton one's - that they learned more. She quit the classes due to carpal tunnel 
I was able to buy one of her books she used when instructing classes, and it was great! Bit more info and detail on techniques, etc.
I know around my area that Michael's charges $25 + supplies for the cake class, unless you can catch it on one of their sales promotions. The cake decorating shop charges $50 plus supplies for the 7 week course. In the cake shop description it said that you do the basics, but also by the end of the course you are decorating your first wedding cake. Then they also offer more cake classes, plus candy, cookies, etc.
Eventually, I would like to take the baking and pastry program at a local culinary school. They offer a 10 week course and you go either on a Saturday or a Sunday each week for 10 weeks. It's kinda spendy $995.00...but I think it would be worth it. They also offer sugar art, chocolate...all sorts of great classes at about $100 per class.
I teach cake decorating classes for a community college, my classes are 8 weeks a course, one day a week, at 3 hours per class, held in the evenings for the working mothers conveniences. I try to keep the cost of supplies down and once you buy the kits I have my local supplier put together, I don't keep sending my students out to buy extra supplies, mostly bringing stuff from home. I teach the basic's making sure to spend one on one time with each student as much as I can till they fully understand and can do the concept I'm teaching them. Wilton actually contacted me about teaching their methods, but said I would have to teach directly from their books and use their kits only, so I declined their offer, stating I had rather teach it my way.
I feel doing it my way, and the way I was taught, is very simple format, easy to understand and effective, so I didn't want to change that fact..after I took my first course almost 13 years ago, before that course ended I was already baking and selling my first Wedding cake, and then after my advance course I was making and selling Sugar molds..I know its a personal thing as to how well a student will catch on and be able to advance,and its a personal aspect as to how coordinated and how bad that person wants to learn and catches on, but most my students are able to bake and decorate a wedding cake by the last class in my beginners course. I do train students who are sent to my classes from local bakery's in grocery stores, so they can get promotions and raises as well.
But I do tell them all to go out and take all the class's they can find and can afford,anywhere they can find one being held, because no matter where your taught your going to always learn something new that's going to help you understand the concept even more.
I'm looking for sugar paste classes to take for myself to advance further in flower making, and if anyone else was holding cake classes in my area I would probably take their courses too, just to enhance my own skills.
I really don't think its where you take the class that counts, its how well the instructor teaches them.
Hi this is my first post on cc Ive been reading a bit and doing cakes for about a year now. Does anyone know how to find a cake decorating shop near me? I tried to search online but only got bakeries. Im in Chicago, IL
Thanks in advance for any help
Brandi
I just did a quick google search for cake decorating shops chicago and it brought up one in Chicago. cakewalkchicago was the name of it I think.
HTH.
I took all Wilton's classes as well and I'm getting ready to take classes at the local shop I have near by and I decided to do that after finding cake central and seeing there is so such more that Wilton didn't teach like there is a whole world out there and thought I'd learn more from the local shop good luck with your decision
I just did a quick google search for cake decorating shops chicago and it brought up one in Chicago. cakewalkchicago was the name of it I think.
HTH.
Thank you so much for the help I will look in to it
Thanks again
Brandi
Hi this is my first post on cc Ive been reading a bit and doing cakes for about a year now. Does anyone know how to find a cake decorating shop near me? I tried to search online but only got bakeries. Im in Chicago, IL
Thanks in advance for any help
Brandi
I don't know if I feel silly saying this or not..............
The Wilton School is in Chicago.
It is my dream to go to the Wilton school one day.
I was looking in to the wilton school classed but also wanted to try out some other methods..
Thanks for your answer
Brandi
I took all three Wilton classes and plan to take the gumpaste class after I'm finished with my Baking & Pastry class this semester. I also a course at a local bakery and learned a lot there as well. She taught us about the different methods to frost a cake (Viva, water, etc). I had better luck with learning how to a BC rose with that course than with Wilton. My Baking & Pastry course will also be covering BC and fondant as well.
Leslie
I took all 3 Wilton courses and learned so immensely much!! When I started working at a bakery, I was required to take courses from an independent culinary school, so after shelling out $135, I was amazed and dissapointed that I was learning the same thing that I learned in Wilton that I only paid $25 for!!
After I finished the courses, my employer (who I no longer work for) wanted me to then teach cake decorating at her shop following the guidlines of the Wilton courses. She bought the extra Wilton class books and I was supposed to teach that! What? I'm not a Wilton instructor! She was also going to charge $150 for a 4 week course with included materials such as 1 piping bag and a few tips that she picked up from a supplier extremely cheeply.
After that experience, I'm very leery of learning from other bakeries, only if the price is reasonable and it's a technique that I am not able to learn from books or the internet.'
Just my opinion....
I took all 3 Wilton courses and learned so immensely much!! When I started working at a bakery, I was required to take courses from an independent culinary school, so after shelling out $135, I was amazed and dissapointed that I was learning the same thing that I learned in Wilton that I only paid $25 for!!
After I finished the courses, my employer (who I no longer work for) wanted me to then teach cake decorating at her shop following the guidlines of the Wilton courses. She bought the extra Wilton class books and I was supposed to teach that! What? I'm not a Wilton instructor! She was also going to charge $150 for a 4 week course with included materials such as 1 piping bag and a few tips that she picked up from a supplier extremely cheeply.
After that experience, I'm very leery of learning from other bakeries, only if the price is reasonable and it's a technique that I am not able to learn from books or the internet.'
Just my opinion....
Thanks for the insider info lol I just figured there may be something else out there I can not make a rose to save my life lol I really need to register for my 2nd class...
Thanks again
Brandi
I have taken all 3 of the classes offered where I buy supplies. And, tomorrow evening I'm going to be starting the Wilton course 1. So I guess I've done things backwards to everyone else! And besides, I'm just having fun!
I don't know if I feel silly saying this or not..............
The Wilton School is in Chicago.
It is my dream to go to the Wilton school one day.
Mine too...big time..I would be thrilled - but then aside from the cost of the school there is of course the hotel, the getting there etc - but hey - it gives me something to dream about! 
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