Need Advice

[meamomma1]

hi,,my daughter is in culinary school to become a pastry chef. she is a first year student and will get her associates degree next yr. my question is...should she remain and get her bachelor degree? her dream is to open her own pastry/bakery and we have heard many conflicting stories whether or not she will need a BA to do this.. she is thinking of coming home and going to a community school for business which in the long run will be cheaper and she was also told to get the most experience she can by working in the field..HELP as the school she is attending is VERY expensive but we will borrow more $ if we need to..thank u...

[old man]

Cooking talent is only one of the tools she will need. Running a business and making money with that business is even more important than the cooking. Let me explain - there are may successful food businesses that just don't know how to cook, but they are good at giving the public what they want. If you think the public wants great food, think again - only some of them want great food, the rest want just food.

Being a great cook and being able to give the customer what they will buy are sometimes two different things - we struggle with this all the time. And business school will not teach that, but experience can. She has to know how to run a business, but that is just academic. Making money is where the art is.

[jonesg]

Meamomma, see your private messages.
Stop the check.!

[snarkygurl]

This is a personal opinion only: Many fabulous restaurants and bakeries out here have gone under. Sometimes there's nothing you can do to stop it, and other times it's because it wasn't run correctly. Unless she's planning on specializing in showpieces, I'd suggest she take some business management classes instead (either as a 2-year or 4-year degree), as well as getting some experience working in someone else's bakery. I learned what NOT to do at my last bakery. And sometimes that's just as important as learning what to do.

[Flattop]

I learned what NOT to do at my last bakery. And sometimes that's just as important as learning what to do.

Ain't that the truth!