Professional Pastry Program (PPP)

Education Objective and Philosophy

Want to make life a little sweeter? Join Roberta L. Dowling, CCP, and Master Pastry Chef Delphin Gomes in a unique opportunity to learn pastry arts in a state-of-the-art, intimate, hands-on setting at The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts. The collaboration between Roberta Dowling and Delphin Gomes offers each student an unprecedented 70 years of combined international expertise.  Our philosophy is to offer each student a solid foundation encompassing European, American, Asian, Middle Eastern, and Latin American influences on pastry arts.  This unique program is vastly superior, like no other in existence, and is structured to mirror the School’s successful 30-year-old Professional Chef’s Program. All of our programs enable students to work in the industry while attending school. As in the Professional Chef’s Program and Delphin’s classes at Delphin’s Gourmandise School of Pastry in Marblehead, MA, our multifarious students come from various walks of life, some have culinary experience, others are careers changers—lawyers, physicians, astrophysicists, opera singers, actors, engineers, consultants, and artists.  We welcome each and every one of you! We invite you to be on the cutting edge of a new career at one of the best culinary establishments in the country, led by two of the most successful mentors in their fields. Roberta and Delphin are definitely the culinary and pastry art “dream team!”

Flexible scheduling is a unique feature of the Professional Pastry Program and allows students to work while attending school. Students may elect from consecutive day and evening laboratory classes to formulate a schedule that best suits their needs. Morning classes begin at 8:30 a.m. and evening classes at 4:30 p.m. Students must elect an evening lecture schedule from either Tuesday or Wednesday nights. Lectures begin at 6:00 p.m.

The professional program mandates two lab classes and one evening seminar per week, for a total of 20 class hours per week. The school does not offer a part-time status.

The Professional Pastry Program is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT) and is licensed by the Department of Education, Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Watch the CSCA's COMMERCIAL on The Professional Pastry Program, as seen on Comcast

Information Sessions

Class Descriptions

Laboratory Classes
Lab classes meet twice a week on two consecutive days, lasting approximately 8 hours each class.

Fundamentals of Pastry Arts
A thorough foundation in the pastry arts is developed by studying the theory and principles of traditional pastries, dough, breads, cakes, and other yeast breads.  A variety of doughs used for croissant, Danish, puff pastry, pâte à choux, pâte brisée, brioche, and strudel are explored.  Petit Fours, cakes, meringues, Bavarians, ice cream and sorbets, classic French and Italian cookies, and other European classics are also taught.  While traditional customs are valued, emphasis is placed on modern methods of preparation, the chemical function of ingredients, perfecting techniques, and presentation.  In addition, this course will provide an introduction to skills that are characteristic of a European trained pastry chef, including working with chocolate, sugar, pastillage, gum paste, and marzipan.  Students will receive an introduction to cake decorating and confections. 

Advanced Techniques & Presentations
Skilled professionals in the pastry arts require more talents than mastering taste and texture.  These classes introduce the next level in pastry arts, including unique plating methods; molded and dipped chocolate techniques; pulled and poured sugar work; and advanced pastillage, gum paste, and marzipan. Students will perfect their new skills when creating French and Italian tarts, Asian and Latin American pastries, and traditional American favorites.  Unique to this program, students design a wedding cake and show-piece presentations.

Combined Savory Component
It is imperative that pastry chefs be trained in the fundamentals of savory cooking.  In this series, students will learn the basics of cooking with eggs, stocks, soups, seafood, poultry, and meats.  Students will learn techniques (both simple and sophisticated), critical evaluation of each stage of preparation, time-temperature sensitive steps, chemical properties of ingredients, and other practical information.  They will learn how to incorporate their pastry expertise into the savory component of the food industry, thus making them more marketable.  Boullangerie and Artisan breads, pizza dough, and pasta are also included in this segment. 

Evening Seminars
Evening seminars convene once a week for approximately 3 hours.

Knife Skills
In this seminar, students are introduced to a variety of knives and knife sizes. Each student will learn how to select the appropriate knife for his or her hand size and learn how to cut properly using the correct knife. Working with the proper knives, each student will practice the fundamentals of chopping, dicing, slicing, and mincing. Instruction emphasizes proper cleaning, storage, and sharpening of knives. Students will also learn how to use a professional slicer and mandoline.

American Food History
Focusing on cooking in America from 1620 to 1900, this three-week course introduces students to the world of food prior to the technological revolutions of the 20th century. Through lecture, videos, and actual preparation of a representative sample of 18th and 19th century dishes, students will gain a basic understanding of the flavors, textures, and construction of recipes popular a century ago. This course will give students the confidence to research and interpret primary source material on food from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Foodservice Sanitation
This five-week course is an intensive study of the foodservice sanitation standards set forth by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF). Using the Applied Foodservice Sanitation Certification Coursebook, students are introduced to the basic tenets of food microbiology, significant food-borne illnesses, practiced defined and mandated by regulatory agencies, and the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system of food safety management. An examination is taken in the fifth week of class. Students passing the exam are presented with a Servsafe^® Certification.

Nutrition for the Foodservice Professional
This three-week course presents students with an overview of food and nutrition science and its role in the foodservice industry today. Students will learn current dietary guidelines, menu planning, recipe development, and food preparation techniques. Special topics include fad diets, genetic engineering, food labels and food labeling in restaurants, phytochemicals and superfoods, sustainable cuisine, and how to read a scientific study. Resources for other nutritional information will also be discussed. A quiz will be given in the third week.

Food Management
This seminar series focuses on the business aspect of the food industry. A variety of culinary occupations are discussed, and career progression and management are explored. Students study purchasing, cost control, projections, menu planning, recipe development, and general skills related to stress, time, and personal management. The legal aspects of opening and running a business are also addressed and include such issues as incorporating, partnership or sole proprietorship, trademarks, and registering the business name.

Career Development Seminar
This seminar is designed to provide a structured outline of job search tools and employment opportunities available in the culinary industry. Students will learn what to expect in various working environments (bakeries, pastry departments in restaurants, caterers, specialty shops), including compensation, job descriptions and expectations, hours of operation, and the potential for career growth. The instructor will emphasize researching each employment opportunity, compare and contrast working in a teaching kitchen, how to set up interviews and shadowing, how to negotiate, and how to investigate specific work environments to determine if the employment opportunity is a good match for the student and employer.

Cheese
Through a comparative tasting of varied European and American cheeses, students learn to appreciate the distinct characteristics of the four main classifications of cheese—soft, semi-soft, firm, and hard. Several samples of cheeses represented in each category are compared for texture, taste, and ripening methods. Basic cheese-making processes, climatic influences, and the proper storage of cheese are discussed along with the role of the professional cheese buyer in the foodservice industry.

Recipe Writing
In this seminar, the recipe-writing process is addressed from various standpoints useful to the foodservice professional. Concepts such as readership, consistency of style, recipe testing, voice, length, and sources of recipes are expanded upon as a basis for getting published.

Wine
Wine, beer, and spirits are studied from the perspective of ingredients, production methods, and a comparative tasting analysis, focusing on individual characteristics and quality.

Sugar
Beginning with sugar boiling, this class exposes students to pull sugar, casting sugar, rock sugar, blown sugar, bubble sugar, and poured sugar. During this four-week course, students will learn to handle the different forms of sugar and experiment with coloring and shaping sugar. Instruction emphasizes creative thinking and planning of showpieces.

Chocolate
This series will begin with tempering and handling couverture. Moving onto spraying, cutting, and molding chocolate, students will be introduced to different recipes and various techniques for shaping and coating confections. With a focus on producing chocolates in an elegant manner, filled, molded, and liquored chocolates will also be introduced.

Distinctive Aspects of the Professional Pastry Program

• The Professional Pastry Program offers flexible scheduling that allows students to be employed while they are attending the program. Students are required to attend class a total of 20 hours of each week and may select from a schedule of day or evening classes or any combination thereof. The completion of the Professional Pastry Program requires 648 clock hours of study (a clock hour is defined as a 50–60 minute period of instruction time).
• The Professional Pastry Program is designed for students in the profession and for students without any formal culinary experience.
• A limited number of students are accepted into each program every term, which allows the School to provide personal attention to every student; the maximum lab class size is 15 students.
• There is one chef instructor for every 15 students and an assistant instructor whenever possible.
• The CSCA Placement Office provides students with personalized, effective job guidance and direction in finding employment.

School Calendar

September 2008 Admission

Orientation:	Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Classes Begin:	Monday, September 8, 2008
Fall Break:	Thursday, November 27 – Sunday, November 30,  2008
Classes Resume:	Monday, December 1, 2008
Winter Break:	Sunday, December 21, 2008 – Sunday, January 4, 2009
Classes Resume:	Monday, January 5, 2009
Spring Break:	Sunday, March 8 – Sunday, March 15, 2009
Classes Resume:	Monday, March 16, 2009
Classes End	Friday, June 12, 2009
Graduation:	Saturday, June 27, 2009

January 2009 Admission

Orientation:	Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Classes Begin:	Monday, January 12, 2009
Spring Break:	Sunday, March 8 – Sunday, March 15, 2009
Classes Resume:	Monday, March 16, 2009
Classes End	Saturday, June 13, 2009
Classes Resume:	Monday, September 14, 2009
Fall Break:	Thursday, November 26 – Sunday, November 29, 2009
Classes Resume:	Monday, November 30, 2009
Winter Break:	Sunday, December 20, 2009 – Sunday, January 3, 2010
Classes Resume:	Monday, January 4, 2010
Classes End:	Saturday, January 16, 2010
Graduation:	Saturday, January 30, 2010

Class Schedules

Flexible scheduling is a unique feature of the Professional Pastry Program and allows students to work while attending school. Students may elect from day and evening laboratory classes to formulate a schedule that best suits their needs. Morning classes begin at 8:30 a.m. and evening classes at 4:30 p.m. Evening seminar is on Tuesday night at 6:00 p.m.

The professional program mandates two lab classes and one evening seminar per week. The school does not offer a part-time status. To view the January Professional Pastry Program schedule, view our FAQ page.

Program Costs

September 2008
Professional Pastry Program
Admission Costs

The $45.00 application fee is non-refundable

January 2009
Professional Pastry Program
Admission Costs

The $45.00 application fee is non-refundable

*Prices subject to change.

Tuition may be paid in full, by halves, or quarters. Our payment plans are interest free.

Download in PDF format
CSCA Application
Professional Pastry Program Schedule and Fees
Professional and Certificate Pastry Programs Catalogue
 

• Request information about our professional programs