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One sweet training program

• Students learn the art of dessert in EdCC class

By Sarah Koenig
Enterprise reporter

Training to be a baker is no piece of cake, but students in Edmonds Community College's new baking program seem willing to take their oven burns with their éclairs, so to speak, because of their love for the kitchen.

The one-year baking certificate program started last month and qualifies students for entry level jobs in bakeries and restaurants. Though you might think a baking program means whipping up gorgeous desserts from Day 1, there's a lot of learning involved.

In class last week, student Ralda Kelly, in white chef's jacket and hat, pulled a sour cream coffee cake from the oven and began picking out the rogue pieces of foil embedded in it.

Foil had flown into the convection oven's fan, scattering foil bits everywhere.

It wasn't the only error students made that day. Another forgot to zero out the scale when measuring flours and botched a coffee cake batter. The day before, a bad batch of éclairs had to be thrown out.

That's how students learn, said chef and teacher Betsy Buford: Over time, they'll become fast and efficient, able to judge cooking situations at a glance and apply the chemistry of baking.

"Theory can be boring but over time you integrate it," she told the class.

The life of a baker also has occupational hazards.

As students Veronica VanBelle and Cleatiss White wiped the oven of foil fragments, they compared burn scars on their forearms from part-time restaurant jobs.

"There's no time to say, 'Ah, it hurts!'" said White, who works as a line cook at Ray's Boathouse in Seattle. "You go home and cry."

VanBelle got her scars working at the bakery at Tulalip Casino.

Despite kitchen hazards, she enjoys baking so much she wants to be a pastry chef and own her own restaurant. The same goes for Ian Cartwright, who before the baking program was a custom home theater installer.

"I've always loved making cakes and pastries," he said. "My mom and I want to start a bakery not just for human consumption, but homemade dog treats."

The kitchen was warm that day, but not overly hot, as students in white chef jackets and tall hats mixed, measured and pored over recipe books amid the smell of cinnamon.

Working in teams, they made biscuits, sour cream muffins, apple turnovers, sour cream coffee cake, crumb cake, streusel and apple filling.

The students have an hour of theory each day, where they learn about coagulation of proteins, starch retrogradation and more. Then they hit the kitchen and apply their knowledge.

Those who go on after the program to work at bakeries and restaurants will need more practice on the job before they become head pastry chef, as quickness and efficiency on large projects can only be learned with time, Buford said.

After several hours of baking, the end of class sees the fruits of students' labors lined up tantalizingly on the counter.

Near the end of class, Buford pulled a cookie sheet of éclairs out of a small refrigerator. She set them on the counter for students to take home, next to shiny glazed apple turnovers and creamy biscuits.

Suprisingly, there were few takers.

That's one occupational hazard students don't seem too worried about: gaining weight. Most said they don't have too much of a sweet tooth.

"I do a lot of walking and I have three kids, so I can't see myself gaining weight," said student Elizabeth Beamish.

Buford, the teacher, is notably tall and svelte, despite her constant exposure to cakes and pies.

In the 1990s, she made a mid-life career change from running a Montessori school to baking, something she'd enjoyed doing on her own.

After earning her degree, Buford was a pastry chef at upscale Seattle restaurants including Falling Waters, Ray's Boathouse and Campagne and most recently worked as a baker in food services for a local biotechnology company.

"I believe (baking and dessert) products add happiness and everyday luxury to our lives," she said. "Good food should be shared!"