French Pastry School facts for kids
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Other name
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FPS |
|---|---|
| Type | Private |
| Established | 1995 |
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Academic staff
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Jacquy Pfeiffer (Dean of Student Affairs) Sébastien Canonne, M.O.F. (Dean of Faculty and Programs) |
| Location |
226 W. Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, Illinois 60606 41°52′42″N 87°38′06″W / 41.8783°N 87.6349°W |
The French Pastry School (FPS) is a special cooking school in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It teaches students how to make amazing pastries, baked goods, and candies. It's the only school in the United States that focuses only on pastry arts!
Contents
How the School Started
The French Pastry School was created in 1995 by two amazing pastry chefs, Jacquy Pfeiffer and Sébastien Canonne, M.O.F. They met in Chicago in 1992 and realized there wasn't a really good school for pastry making in the US.
They wanted to teach traditional French pastry skills. Their goal was to follow the European way of learning, where a master chef teaches an apprentice.
Growing the School
At first, Chef Pfeiffer and Chef Canonne taught classes for professionals in a small studio. More and more students wanted to learn. In 1999, the school moved to a bigger, modern building. This move also helped students get financial aid to pay for their studies.
In 2009, the school expanded even more. They added 11,000 square feet of new kitchen space. This allowed them to teach even more students.
What You Can Learn
The French Pastry School offers three main programs. Each program gives students a special certificate when they finish.
L'Art de la Pâtisserie
This program is all about professional pastry and baking. It lasts for 24 weeks, which is about six months. Students learn classic French pastry methods. They study baking science, food safety, and how to make breads and breakfast pastries. They also learn to create cakes, tarts, and beautiful chocolate and sugar decorations.
L'Art du Gâteau
Started in 2010, this 16-week program focuses on making and decorating cakes. Students learn everything about creating wedding cakes, celebration cakes, and other special cakes. They learn how to bake and build cakes, make small pastries, and use different decorating materials like fondant. They also learn about airbrushing and even how to plan a cake business.
L'Art de la Boulangerie
This program began in 2011 and is for students who want to specialize in baking bread. It's a 10-week course. Students learn the basics of French breads and special techniques for making sourdough. They also work with whole grains and organic breads. The course covers advanced breakfast pastries and other specialty breads.
Learning Style
The school teaches students to be disciplined and follow instructions carefully. They learn to be thorough and pay attention to details. Students are encouraged to learn from their mistakes and keep trying if a recipe doesn't work at first.
Class sizes are small, with only 18 students. This means students get to work closely with the master pastry chefs. After graduating, students also receive help finding jobs and career advice. The school also offers shorter classes, lasting 3 to 5 days, for both professionals and people who just love to bake at home.
