San Diego Culinary Institute, Inc.
 

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Baking & Pastry Certificate Program

Harold Meyberg has recruited the highly regarded Pastry Chef and Author, Bo Friberg, CMPC. Chef Bo has taught extensively throughout his career, most recently at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco as head of the department of Pastry and Baking. He has also taught at the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, New York as well as their campus at Graystone in Napa, California. While on staff at the Culinary Institute, he started their program in Baking and Pastry Arts. His graduates now work in the finest hotels and restaurants in the country and around the world.

Chef Bo has decided to continue his love of teaching at the San Diego Culinary Institute, where the devotion to provide individual attention is made evident by the small class sizes, limited to 16 students. Here at SDCI, he has also been given the opportunity to design a new, intensive and extensive curriculum. “The Professional Pastry Chef, Fourth Edition,” authored by Chef Bo, is utilized as the course textbook.

To learn more about chef Bo, please visit his very own website at chefbo.com.
 


Chef Bo Frieberg

 
We are also very fortunate to have Executive Pastry Chef Sara Polczynski on our experienced teaching staff. Chef Sara adds her own dimension to the course, bringing professional experience from a variety of resort hotels and, most recently, as the Executive Pastry Chef of The Cohn Restaurant Group (which includes Blue Point, The Prado, and Dakota Grill & Spirits). She will cover production skills, cost savings and products that are used in the industry to improve productivity.
 
Chef Sara Polczynksi

Completion of the course will enable the SDCI graduate to find work as a Pastry Cook, Assistant Pastry Chef, or Pastry Chef, depending on the individual talent of the student. With experience, skill and perseverance the graduates of this program will have tools to make this a lifelong career.

Certificate in Baking and Pastry Arts requires the completion of 1150 hours earned in the following areas of study:

  • 35 hours of Safety & Sanitation and HACCP
  • 1015 hours of Pastry and Baking Skills
  • 100 hours of externship

Note: To be a “Chef” requires that you acquire a position that has been designated by your employer to be a “Chefs” position.

Entrance Requirements

  • High school Diploma or GED
  • You will be asked to take a test prior to admittance, which will test your ability to benefit from our course of study.
  • All students are required to attend an orientation program prior to the beginning of classes.


 

Certificate in Baking and Pastry Arts overview by week:

Click on section titles for more information.

 
Section I — Safety & Sanitation and H.A.C.C.P. (35 Hours)
1 Safety & Sanitation and H.A.C.C.P
   
Section IIQuick Breads, Yeast Breads & Breakfast Pastries (210 Hours)
2 Quick Breads, Teacakes and Breakfast Pastries
3 Braided Breads; Rolls & Knots; Direct & Indirect Method Breads
4 French, Italian and Flavored Loaves
5 Sourdough Breads & Flatbread
6 Breakfast Pastries made from Laminated Dough
7 Specialty Breakfast Pastries; Skill Verification for Section II
   
Section III — Cakes, Pies & Tarts (210 Hours)
8 Unfilled Cakes; Pies & Tarts
9 Butter cream-Filled Cakes
10 Whipped Cream-Filled Cakes
11 Classical Cakes
12 Chocolate Cakes
13 Cake Decoration; Special-Occasion Cakes; Skill Verification for Section 3
   
Section IV — Cookies, Individual Pastries and Petits Fours, Mignardise (210 Hours)
14 European Butter Cookies & Piped Freeform Pastries
15 American-Style Cookies; Pastry Shells; Classical Pastries
16 Bar Cookies, Biscotti & Shortbread; Macaroons & Madeleines; Hand Shaped Freeform Pastries
17 Specialty Cookies; Molded Pastries
18 Petits Fours, Petits Four Sec & Mignardise
19 Petits Fours Glace; Skill Verification for Sections II, III and IV
   
Section V — Dessert Sauces, Dessert Containers & Plated Desserts (210 Hours)
20 Dessert Sauces; Custards & Puddings
21 Dessert Containers; Charlottes & Bavarian Creams; Mousses
22 Frozen Desserts; Still Frozen Desserts; Desserts produced in an Ice Cream Freezer
23 Baked Desserts & Chocolate Desserts
24 Poached, Fried & Sautéed Desserts
25 Warm Desserts & Soufflés; Skill Verification for Section V
   
Section VI — Chocolate & Other Confections, Marzipan, Sugarwork (175 Hours)
26 Chocolate Tempering; Truffles & Ganache-Based Candies
27 Soft Center Candies, Sugar-Based Candies & Nougats
28 Pastillage; Cocoa Painting & Marzipan
29 Poured, Pulled & Blown Sugar
30 Skill Verification for Section VI; Graduation Buffet
   
Total of 1150 hours includes 100 hours of paid externship
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