French Cake Construction and Wedding Cake and Special Event Cakes Decorating - FULL
August 31 - September 4, 2009 (4pm - 9pm)
$875
Food Enthusiast
Bob Hartwig,
The French Pastry School Faculty, Pastry Chef
Laura Ragano,
The French Pastry School Faculty, Pastry Chef
This five-day hands-on class will be your “week as a pastry chef”. Students will receive a binder prior to the first day of class so that they will be able to review the material ahead of time. At the start of each day, the Chef Instructor will give an introduction. Students will scale their own ingredients. As in all other Continuing Education and L’Art de la Pâtisserie courses, this is hands-on. At the end of the week, students will receive an evaluation of their performance from the chef.
August 31st and September 1st with Chef Bob Hartwig
French Cake Construction
With Chef Bob Hartwig (bio) of The French Pastry School, you will make Classic French Cakes. He will teach you the basic French doughs, and sponges such as biscuits, dacquoise, and pain de gêne. Chef Hartwig with teach you the recipes, techniques and secrets that go into creating winning entremets such as the Chocolate and Hazelnut Mousse cake, Nougat Mousse cake and the Raspberry and White Chocolate Silk cake. He will share his experience in building cakes, flavor profiles and textures, and show examples of a variety of doughs and creams to produce a well-balanced cake. The techniques you learn apply to both the recipes you make in class as well as many other areas of pastry production. Everything in class is made and decorated by you to take home and enjoy with your family and friends.
This course is accredited by the American Culinary Federation (ACF) for 25 Continuing Education Hours (CEHs).
September 2nd and 3rd with Chef Laura Ragano
Cake Decorating
Students will learn with Chef Laura Ragano (bio) many quick and easy decorating techniques for specialty cakes. This class is ideal for those wishing to build their skills in making rolled fondant wedding and special event cakes. Class starts with baking a cake to teach you how to layer and fill a cake, preparing it for rolled fondant, covering using rolled fondant and how to correctly dowel and assemble a layered and stacked wedding cake. Students will learn how to choose cake boards and bases, covering cake boards with fondant, embossing, painting, how to prepare a real cake for fondant application, covering dummy cakes with rolled fondant, textured lace, edible pearls. A display cake will also be covered with rolled fondant and decorated using many rolled fondant and gumpaste techniques. Included in the class will be the making of some basic gumpaste flowers to use as a decoration on the completed cake.
Gumpaste flowers and foliage will be artfully arranged into a wired spray completed with accent ribbons. This completed arrangement will adorn the top tier of your completed cake. Some flowers you will create include roses and carnations, as well as a berry garnish. All your beautiful creations are yours to take home to impress your friends and family. If you are looking for the fundamentals in cake decorating, join Chef Ragano for this great opportunity.
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September 4th with Chefs Bob Hartwig and Laura Ragano
On the final day of this five-day class, you will finish your products, produce a beautiful buffet, and receive an evaluation from your Chef Instructors, just as you would as a full-time French Pastry School student. All your delicious items will be packed up for you to take home and enjoy with your family and friends.
Before joining the instruction team, in 2005, Chef Bob Hartwig (bio) was the Executive Pastry Chef at the Chicago Marriott Downtown. He worked at several pastry kitchens including the Rhapsody restaurant which is located in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Symphony Center. Chef Hartwig has also appeared on the TV Food Network and was a participant during the New York Chocolate Fashion Show in 2006. Bob Hartwig is currently working with his wife Gina and her partner Brooke Dailey, owner/operators of Lovely: a bake shop. Both Gina and Brooke are graduates of the L’Art de la Pâtisserie program at The French Pastry School. Chef Hartwig’s focus is in developing the Lovely brand as it pertains to both the current storefront location and future concepts.
Chef Laura Ragano (bio) joined the Chef Instructor team in 2005. After earning her Bachelor’s degree, completing culinary school, and working in the pastry industry, Ragano graduated with honors from the L’Art de la Pâtisserie program of The French Pastry School. She is the only graduate of The French Pastry School to have been offered a teaching position. Known for having a calm demeanor, Ragano inspires her students with her attention to detail and her team-focused attitude. Leading the school’s wedding cake and gum paste portion of the 24-week program, Laura continues to demonstrate her passion for the pastry arts. Ragano also coordinates the Intern program at the school and oversees much of the kitchen management. She is an active member of the American Culinary Federation. She is also a member of the International Cake Exploration Societé which promotes the art of cake decorating nationally and internationally. Ragano has been mentored by Nicholas Lodge, an internationally renowned master in the cake field.
Full Bio & Photo
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Food Enthusiast - denotes course is suited for the food enthusiast. |
All tools, equipment and ingredients will be provided for each student. The French Pastry School has a strict dress code. Students are required to wear long black or khaki colored pants, kitchen-safe shoes (closed toe, skid proof, made from a hard protective leather material), and a chef’s jacket. Students may purchase a chef’s jacket from the school at www.frenchpastryschool.com/chef_jacket.html. Chef jackets will be shipped within 2 business days of receiving payment. Special orders will take up to 6 weeks. Everyone will receive an apron and a hat to keep.
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