r/PastryChef

Hello, I’ve never posted on reddit. Thank you in advance for reading this and any advice. I need more actionable advice from people who are bakers and patisserie chef because no one I know is in this industry.

I’m 20F and I started working at a bakehouse and patisserie 7 weeks ago, it’s a placement so it’s half paid and a part of my patisserie course. However I will continue to work there once I’m finished.

My main problem is I’m extremely slow, not that I can’t be fast sometimes but I’m horrible at time management. I’ve had multiple instances so far in which I’ve taken WAY too long to complete something and they were not happy with me.

One of them was today, where I had to make 80 pies. Last week and earlier this week I had made these pies (not as many though), both times under filling them and one time not crimping them properly so they burst and they had to throw them out. This time my main boss said to one of the girls who works there to show me how to correctly fill them today. And she did, she also said that this job should take me 1.5h in total. Starting at 8am and finishing at 9:30am. I finished at 10:45am. 😬 It took me 1.5h just to fill them.

I’ll be specific on what im actually doing; I’m lining tray with baking paper, putting frozen pie bases on them and then filling them with 3 chucks of meat and then gravy. This should have only taken me half an hour. When they are all done I top the pies, this should take an hour, 15 mins per tray, 4 trays of 20 pies. I got told off after my first tray went in the oven and after that I hulled ass to get it done and I did! Which means I can do it! It’s just something about the long time frame that doesn’t create a sense of urgency for me. To defend myself a little I was kinda taking my time to avoid the pies being under filled and not properly crimped but clearly it was too long a time.

This has happened before with big task taking a long time to complete. I do have ADHD but I say that not as an excuse but for context I guess. I struggled in school and home with being fast and managing my time.

My gf and family always say that I’m new and I’m there to learn but I can’t just say that to my employer, they don’t feel the same way as they clearly had greater expectations of me. I had a talk with the bosses wife (she runs the front of house) after my shift today, she was very nice but said I can’t do anything like that again. (or I’m done I guess, she said 2 more weeks) Which is very understandable, it stuffs up the whole team and the work flow, costing the business.

I guess I’m saying I’m scared I will do it again because this is the second time I’ve been told and I believe I’ve done it many more times before. I can’t seam to recognise that I’m getting myself in these situation, it’s like I’m blind to it likes it’s random change. Like I don’t have control over if I meet there expectations or devastatingly ruin everything.

In my conversation with the bosses wife today she said I need to be more confident and ask questions, always check that I’m doing things correctly. Which is simple but I haven’t seemed to be able to doing that, I don’t know what question to ask and I can’t recognise in the moment when I need too. How can I do this? and how do I know how long something should take?
How can I get myself to be in this headspace? Where I’m focused on being fast. I try and keep track of the time but it’s hard. I think I keep forgetting how I’m suppose to be acting when I’m working, the mindset I’m suppose to have. I always accidentally slip into this state where I’m not super focused and just doing the task, not really TRYING to get it done asap. Idk honestly I really love this job and business, it’s a rare opportunity to learn in a place like this and I really don’t want to let these people down and have them believe they’ve made a mistake in hiring me.

I hope this makes sense. Any specific and actionable advice on being fast and on time management. And also on how to recognise what to ask and what to take notes on. Or if there is anywhere else I can post this let me know. Thank you so so much for reading, I want to be great and show them I’m passionate and dedicated, but I need some help. Thank you.

Hi everyone! I’m looking pastry cooks with experience to start as soon as possible in a fine dining spot in the upper east side in Manhattan. We are paying $25/h. We are looking for 5am shift and lunch service shift.
Is a very cool place that opened a month ago, I’m pastry Sous chef and is the best place I’ve ever worked in. We just started lunch and brunch service and we are looking for the right people for it. Besides the restaurant service, we run a pretty cool and exclusive patisserie with entremets and viennoserie. We open 7days a week, Monday and Tuesday just dinner and the rest of the week lunch/brunch and dinner.

Hi all!
I’m graduating with my associate's in hospitality management (lots of regret about the degree, too niche) this May and looking to transfer. I have a lot of great options, but I am having a hard time choosing. I currently run a very small custom dessert business.

My first option is to transfer for business and possibly pursue a master's degree after working on my business for a couple of years. I intend to minimize the debt I will be in, which I know is very difficult given the costs of higher education and starting a business.

My second option would be to pursue a culinary degree and major in baking and pastry arts. With this option, I would also like to pair it with a business degree, but once again, affordability is a concern.

I am well aware that pursuing a higher education is a privilege that comes with high costs. Opening a business also comes with high costs. None of my options is easy, but as I mentioned before, I do want to minimize my debt. If anybody has any insights, I would greatly appreciate them. I have been trying to make this decision for a couple of months now, but I have not been able to come to a decision.

I am 21(F), I have done 4th year ug. Now I don't wanna continue w academics but still want to have a masters degree as a backup in future so I'm planning to do open learning. Apart from that, I want to pursue the career path of being a pastry chef in future I'm wondering if it is possible, I've been baking for 1-2 years and still learning. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should do? where should I get enrolled and for how many months? It would be great if people from HM background reply as I really have no idea how difficult it can get and I don't want to underestimate it.

Ps I don't have a huge budget. It would be great if the location is in new delhi or near new delhi only.