Do you dream of creating desserts that delight, and breads that bring people together? The Certificate of Achievement in Baking & Pastry Arts program is more than classes—it’s a gateway to a world of creativity, craftsmanship and career opportunities.
What You Will Learn
Our Baking & Pastry Arts program offers a comprehensive curriculum designed to build your skills from the ground up. You’ll start with the fundamentals and progress to advanced techniques, gaining confidence and creativity along the way. Courses include:
- Introduction to Food – Explore the essentials of food safety, flavor principles, and classical French Cuisine.
- Food Management – Learn the business side of the culinary world, including inventory, cost control, and kitchen operations.
- Introduction to Baking – Master the basics of breads, pastries, and dough preparation.
- Advanced Baking – Elevate your skills with complex techniques and artisan creations.
- Chocolates – Discover the art of tempering, molding, and crafting exquisite chocolate and dessert confections.
- Food as Art – Express and record your creativity through plating, presentation, and edible designs that you photograph.
“Create. Innovate. Elevate. Your Culinary Journey Starts Here at CCM.” Enroll today to start shaping your future one delicious creation at a time! ~ Professor Mark Cosgrove – Department Chair
Curriculum
Our Baking & Pastry Arts certificate is a 16-credit curriculum introducing food management and baking essentials, developing advanced baking and chocolate skills and capabilities, highlighting food as art.
You’ll also be prepared to transfer into the Culinary Arts program at CCM to pursue an Associate of Science degree.
Career Opportunities
This program blends technical expertise with artistic expression, preparing you for careers in bakeries, restaurants, hotels, and beyond. With hands-on training and guidance from industry professionals, you’ll graduate ready to make your mark in the world of pastry and baking:
- Artisan Baker
- Baker
- Bakery Clerk
- Cake Decorator
- Chocolatier
- Food Stylist
- Pastry Cook
- Wedding Cake Designer
Why Study Baking & Pastry Arts At CCM?
This certificate program consists of six classes. You’ll learn from seasoned professionals in state-of-the-art facilities, mastering techniques that blend artistry with precision.
The new 11,325-square-feet Center for Entrepreneurship and Culinary Science (CECS) serves as the home to CCM’s Culinary and Hospitality Arts Institute of New Jersey (CHAI-NJ). The new Baking Kitchen is one of your learning labs reflecting the highest standard as it is outfitted with top-tier equipment, including advanced Combi-ovens, a rotating bread oven, marble-topped tables and “Boos” block workstations, 14-foot dough sheeter, 40-quart globe mixers and Vulcan stoves—to support a full range of instruction.
Whether your goal is to become a pastry chef, open your own bakery or elevate your culinary skills, this certificate program gives you the foundation to succeed in a thriving industry.
Join us and turn your passion into a profession—because every great baker starts with a single step, and yours begins at CCM.
Paying for Baking & Pastry Arts Education
Earning a Certificate of Achievement from CCM is a powerful investment that will pay off over the course of your life, in both increased earnings and job satisfaction. But what is the upfront cost, and how do you afford it? There’s good news: Money is available to help you pay for school! Our Financial Aid staff can provide lots of information about the process of finding funds to help pay for your education.
Featured Courses
Introduction to Food
The modern kitchen offers a multitude of opportunities to explore the world of food. From the equipment available to the bounty of fresh and processed foods that can be obtained and prepared by both the novice and the more experienced cook, this course presents an introduction to the culinary arts.
Food as Art
An introduction to the art of food styling, food photography, garde manger and cake decoration. Topics covered include how to prepare, arrange, and preserve food for a photo shoot; techniques on how to prepare, terrines and fresh cheese. This course also covers the art and science of cake preparation, assembly and decoration. Students have the opportunity to create a portfolio of work.
Chocolates
The art of working with chocolate is the emphasis of this class. This course will cover the theoretical, practical and artistic aspect of chocolate and confections. The students will apply tempering techniques to create a variety of truffles, hand dipped and molded chocolates. The course will also build on sugar cooking skills for the students to create brittle and toffee.
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