Program Codes:
BAKG
Associate of Applied Science
The Baking & Pastry Arts AAS Program provides a comprehensive learning opportunity for learners who plan to pursue careers in the Baking and Pastry Arts aspect of the rapidly expanding food service industry. Graduates of the AAS program are prepared to enter the workforce as journeyman bakers, assistants to pastry chefs, retail bakery management trainees, or commercial bakers. This program is also designed to prepare people who desire to own and operate a bakery or café/bakery.
Baking and Pastry Arts students learn by applying basic baking principles and developing the hands-on skills necessary to become a professional in the baking and pastry arts field. Skill development is accomplished through a variety of individualized hands-on assignments where the basic principles, methods, and techniques of baking are integrated and applied in the production of baked items on a small scale. This application is further reinforced through production on a larger scale of quality baked items on a consistent basis for retail sale and commercial use. During this process students are introduced to the different components of baked goods including the different types of dough, cake batters, pastry and crème fillings, and custards. The use of these components to produce the final high quality product for resale and or commercial use is the final phase of learning on the production side. As baking is considered to be both an art and a science, understanding the use of the scientific method and principles are a major focus. The importance and impact of time and temperature, ratios, weights & measures, and ingredient composition on the final product is learned and reinforced through the use of the trial and error method.
In addition to producing high quality baked goods for re-sale, the business side of bakery operations are learned by operating a retail outlet located on-campus as a part of the course work. Students will incorporate their technical skills with the business practices necessary to merchandise product and manage the A.P. Smith's commercial bakery outlet. All of this learning is further reinforced and integrated through the completion of a 400-hour industry work experience.
Hotel bake shops, restaurant pastry departments, private retail bakery operations, and in-store bakeries actively seek those individuals who successfully complete these program requirements. Students pursuing this track may choose to enroll in the Baking Arts and Service Management Baccalaureate Program at Paul Smith's College.
At the end of the program students will be able to:
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A minimum of 62 credits are required for the Baking and Pastry Arts Degree. A minimum of 20 credits of Liberal Arts courses needed for graduation.
In this course students will be introduced to professional baking standards which include: ingredients recognition, food handling and care, mixing methods, baking processes and procedures, baking vocabulary and terminology, and use of industry equipment. This course will give students the necessary insight to fully participate in baking course co-requisites BAK 110, 120, 130 and 140, including group participation, peer evaluations and critiques of properly prepared baked goods. Emphasis will be placed on baking math, formula conversion, scaling, food cost, percentage yield, bakers’ percentage (bread making calculation) and baked goods diagnostics. Students will be able to work with recipes and to follow written directions in co-requisite courses.
In this course students will be introduced to one large and popular baking area: Cookies, Tarts and Pies. This course will retrace the history of this type of baked good and propose a journey through some classical foreign cookies and tarts and American regional cookies, tarts and pies. This course will also cover, through different recipes, the evolution of these classic homemade products from rustic to cutting edge bakery creations. In this course the students will apply the skills being acquired in the co-requisite baking essentials course. The students will practice new techniques and methods and continue to build and apply their skills in this specific baking area while being exposed to crucial principles of safe food handling and sanitation.
In this course, students will be introduced to butter and sponge cakes and professional cake assembly. Students will learn how to slice, soak, ice and decorate multiple types of cakes using appropriate fillings, bake shop creams, mousses, and international buttercreams. Course material will also cover the evolution of classic cakes from traditional to modern perspectives and approaches. In this course the students will apply skills being acquired in the co-requisite BAK 101, Baking Essentials course. The students will practice new techniques and methods and continue to build and apply their skills in this specific baking area, while being exposed to crucial principles of safe food handling and sanitation.
Bread is an essential component of world food culture, so vital that religions and legends have emphasized its value, from antiquity to the French revolution. Its relevance persists in modern times. This course retraces the history of bread from ancient Egypt to modern times and travels through classical breads such as the Italian Ciabatta and the French Baguette. In this course students will be introduced to yeast fermentation, straight dough, sponge method, ten steps of bread baking, loaf shapes, proper scoring, lean dough and hearth bread, flat bread, soft crust bread, rich bread, pre-ferments and sourdough starters. Students will apply baking techniques and math acquired in the co-requisite baking essentials course. Students will practice classic and modern methods applied to bread making while being exposed to crucial principles of safe food handling and sanitation.
In this course the students will be introduced to another large and popular baking area: Viennoiserie, laminated doughs, yeast rich doughs and cream puff pastry (Pate a choux). In this course students will have the opportunity to practice laminated doughs, mastering the use of the rolling pin before using an electric dough sheeter. In this course the students will learn about the origin and the history of this specific type of baked goods. This course will cover the different techniques used in puff pastry making, croissants, Danish pastries, brioche, etc.
In this course the students will continue to develop the skills being acquired in the co-requisite baking essentials course. The students will practice new techniques and methods and continue to build and apply their skills in this specific baking area while being exposed to crucial principles of safe food handling and sanitation.
European Immigrants to America brought their cultures with them, including some iconic desserts which are now part of the American repertoire. One of the purposes of this course is to review the history of these now-classic cakes and pastries, to re-connect them with their country of origin, and to discover or rediscover the cultures of these countries through their pastries. This course is also a way for students to understand many of the cultural values and traditions of European nations. The students will practice new techniques and methods and continue to build and apply their skills in this specific baking area including crucial principles of safe food handling and sanitation. Prerequisite: BAK 106 Baking Essentials
BAK 106: Baking Essentials
Sweet is an international language. Each country has its way to seduce a palate with a dessert. Using local and imported ingredients, and influenced by religion, culture and conquests, the creativity of the human mind has come up with an amazing diversity of desserts. In this course the students will reproduce a selection of desserts from around the world. One of the purposes of this course is to review the history of these pastries, to match them with their country of origin and to discover or rediscover the cultures of these countries through their desserts. This course is also a way for students to understand many of the cultural values and traditions of Asia, Africa and the Americas. A particular emphasis will be placed on how to adapt and present these desserts to the American public. The students will practice a diversity of techniques and methods. Prerequisite: BAK 106 Baking Essentials.
BAK 106: Baking Essentials
Students are introduced to the functions of a marketing system to gain a better understanding of the consumer and industrial market place. Creating in design work that illustrates persuasion, emotional allurement, and ability to attract sales is taught. Different strategies necessary to market a product or service are discussed from scientific and practical viewpoints. Topics discussed include product planning and development, quality, pricing promotions, and channels of distribution. (3 hours lecture). Completes General Education Requirements:SC-R, RE-R.
This course is developed to provide pastry students with the necessary culinary skills to be able to perform and develop simple and innovative savory recipes such as soups, salads, sandwiches and entrée tarts in order to be versatile in any commercial kitchen. Students will be introduced to culinary professional standards which includes knife skills, food handling and care, cooking processes and procedures, product identification, culinary vocabulary and terminology, and use of industry equipment. The course will utilize chef demonstrations, group participation, peer evaluations and critiques of properly prepared foods.
This course focuses on the advertising, merchandising, and management of a retail bakery and the baked goods produced. Each student, in a team of two, will act as General Manager of the bakery operation during rotation through course positions (Bread, Pastry, Savory, and Laminated).
Each week, the Management Team will plan their menu, inventory and order food, assign tasks to their teams to produce the menu, market their week, collect customer feedback, and conduct financial assessment. Additional emphasis will be placed on students’ ability to work as members of a cohesive team.
Prerequisites: BAK 106 Baking Essentials and BAK 111 Class Mod Cookies and BAK 120 Cakes, Cream & Fillings and BAK 131 Yeast Doughs and BAK 141 Viennoiserie Doughs.
BAK 106 Baking Essentials and BAK 111 Class Mod Cookies and BAK 120 Cakes, Cream & Fillings and BAK 131 Yeast Doughs and BAK 141 Viennoiserie Doughs.
This course is the last of the three components of the bakery retail experience. The other two being Sweet and Savory. In this course students will be introduced to the management functions of planning, organizing, leading and control applied to small businesses in general, and bakery retail in particular. The course is designed to give students the opportunity to manage a team, analyze sales data, create marketing/advertising promotions, stimulate merchandise sales, price product, minimize waste and create appealing displays as related to the day to day operation of a retail bakery. Each student will act as General Manager in rotation, supervising students from the complementary courses noted above. Emphasis will be placed on students’ ability to work as members of a cohesive team and to communicate effectively.
Completes General Education Requirements for: QP-R
Select any course.
In this course the students will be introduced to the fabrication of ice creams, sorbets, granites, parfaits, frozen soufflés, bombs and a variety of frozen entremets. This course will cover the different techniques used to create a large variety of frozen desserts, such as sorbets, and ice cream, and how to combine them to create complex frozen desserts such as Baked Alaska, parfait Coco Chanel, Soufflé Rothschild, etc. Students will review the history of frozen desserts from the ancient Greeks to cutting edge modern ice cream parlors. An important part of the course will be dedicated to the rules and regulations governing this professional segment. A Strong emphasis will be placed on hygiene and sanitation specific to this type of fabrication. Prerequisites: BAK 106 Baking Essentials
BAK 106: Baking Essentials
In this course students will be introduced to specific desserts recommended for restaurants and catering businesses. This course will explain the difference between plated desserts and restaurant desserts. This course will also focus on how to contrast textures, temperatures and sweetness with acidity to create a well-balanced and attractive dish. This course will cover the different techniques used to create recipes such as crème brulée, profiteroles, petit pots de crème, chocolate mousse, coulis, etc. In this course the students will review the techniques and skills learned in their previous classes. They will learn how to adapt and modify recipes to make them suitable for different types of restaurants from family diners to Michelin starred establishments. The students will be exposed to molecular gastronomy and will learn how to incorporate these techniques in plated desserts. Prerequisite: BAK 106 Baking Essentials
BAK 106: Baking Essentials
Confectionary is the art of preserving flavors and fruit through the use of sweeteners. It is an ancestral art using well proven techniques. Technology helps us to understand the chemistry behind these inherited practices. This course progresses through recipes and techniques from the middle ages when honey was the common sugar, to modern days where inverted sugar and glucose are part of our daily diets. Students will learn methods and procedures used in the production of classical confections such as nougat, lollypops, caramels, candies, etc. and techniques used in modern confectionary such as adding texturizers and applying molecular gastronomy methods. Jams, jellies and marmalades will be discussed in detail. Candies are also part of this course culminating with maple candies done using our own maple syrup. Prerequisite: BAK 106 Baking Essentials
BAK 106: Baking Essentials
The Latin name of cocoa is Theobroma cacao which means ‘food of the Gods’, a worthy name for the magic that is chocolate. Native to tropical America, chocolate was used in Mayan and Aztec cultures medicinally, in religious ceremonies and as monetary exchange. Since the time that it was brought to Europe by conquistadors, chocolate conquered the world, becoming one of the most renowned foods. In this course students will learn about chocolate history, fabrication, the different types of chocolate available in market, the specific use of each type of chocolate, how to temper and work with chocolate couverture. A specific emphasis will be placed on chocolate bonbons using ganache, pralines, liquors, marzipan filling, just to name few. The use of chocolate in decoration, to fabricate roses and ribbons will also be covered. Prerequisite: BAK 106 Baking Essentials
BAK 106: Baking Essentials
Short Title : COM 210
Course Code : COM 210
Course Description : This course enables students to collect, manage and translate technical information to prescribed audiences to increase broader understanding and facilitate action. In this information age we are deluged with large amounts of information. The process of technical communication involves, collecting, organizing and evaluating that information and then translating it into easily understood formats through a variety of media. Technical communication also involves writing to prescribed criteria such as grant applications, report specifications and other formats. Therefore this course requires consideration of research, visuals, format, audience-awareness, syntax, semantics, and most importantly, the ability to communicate ideas clearly and succinctly. (3 hours lecture). Prerequisite: ENG 101 Effective College Writing Completes General Education Requirements: WC-R LAS
Prerequisites : Prereq: ENG 101 Lecture Min Grade: D Min Credits: 3.00 Or ENG 101 Lecture Min Grade: TR Min Credits: 3.00 Or ENG 101 Advanced Studies Min Grade: D Min Credits: 3.00
Short Title : COM 216
Course Code : COM 216
Course Description : The course provides a critical overview and analysis of how mass communication tools and systems have influenced our society and ourselves. By grounding our study in the founding principles of the First Amendment, the course will facilitate analysis of the following questions: What is meant by the term mass communication? What influence does mass communication have on our public discourse and the way we function as a society? How is a message crafted to fit a specific media format or to reach a specific demographic? What kind of messages are truly for the masses and what messages are for defined groups and why? How do new media formats compare to historic methods and what are the implications of these new trends? Through this analysis, students should become critical consumers of communication messages. Prerequisite: ENG 101 Effective College Writing Completes General Education Requirements:SC-F or SC-R, WC-R, RE-R, LAS.
Prerequisites : Prereq: ENG 101 Lecture Min Grade: D Min Credits: 3.00 Or ENG 101 Lecture Min Grade: TR Min Credits: 3.00
Short Title : ENG 102
Course Code : ENG 102
Course Description : This writing-intensive course complements Effective College Writing I (ENG 101). The main purpose is to develop critical thinking and expository writing skills through the study of and written reaction to various professional texts, literary, persuasive, or some combination thereof. The work will consist chiefly of written essays, with emphasis on audience awareness, ownership, clarity, organizational methods, and logic. The course will also include a research component. (3 hours lecture). Prerequisite: ENG 101 Effective College Writing I Completes General Education Requirements:WC-R, LAS.
Prerequisites : Prereq: ENG 101 Lecture Min Grade: D Min Credits: 3.00 Or ENG 101 Advanced Studies Min Grade: D Min Credits: 3.00 Or ENG 101 Lecture Min Grade: TR Min Credits: 3.00
Short Title : ENG 103
Course Code : ENG 103
Course Description : American democracy depends upon an informed and critically attuned citizenry. Advancement in one's career similarly depends upon critical thinking and eloquent advancement of one's ideas. In this course we will study classical and modern techniques of argument and persuasion and methods logical and illogical others use to influence our behavior. Class discussion of current issues will result in essays aimed at developing student argumentative and persuasive skills. Posters, advertising, video, and class debate may also be part of the course. Time or similar magazine and a polemical novel will be two of our texts. At semester's end students will prepare a lengthy written argument along with an oral presentation. Prerequisites: ENG 101 Effective College Writing I Completes General Education Requirements:RE-R, WC-R, SC-R LAS
Prerequisites : Prereq: ENG 101 Lecture Min Grade: D Min Credits: 3.00 Or ENG 101 Advanced Studies Min Grade: D Min Credits: 3.00 Or ENG 101 Lecture Min Grade: TR Min Credits: 3.00
Short Title : ENG 105
Course Code : ENG 105
Course Description : Food writing plays an integral role in the culinary arts. Concise recipes and persuasive menus, for example, are tools for communication between the culinary professional and the consumer. In this course, students will build on the writing skills acquired at the foundation level while enhancing their knowledge of food. Students will compare and analyze the writing styles found in recipes, menus, essays, newspaper reviews, poetry, food in fiction, journal articles and internet blogs. Through this analysis students will develop their own preferences for expressing a point of view about food in these formats. Students will be expected to develop a culinary-based research project, a personal memoir enriched with recipes, and to participate in class discussions, critiques and formal presentations of projects. Prerequisite: ENG 101 Effective College Writing I Completes General Education Requirements:WC-R, SC-R LAS
Prerequisites : Prereq: ENG 101 Lecture Min Grade: D Min Credits: 3.00 Or ENG 101 Advanced Studies Min Grade: D Min Credits: 3.00 Or ENG 101 Lecture Min Grade: TR Min Credits: 3.00
Short Title : ENG 111
Course Code : ENG 111
Course Description :
This writing-intensive course develops critical thinking and expository writing skills through the study of, and written reaction to, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and drama classified as working-class literature. Students will examine how the working class is represented in American literature from 1900 to the present and will explore the characteristics that constitute working-class writing. This exploration will include analysis of the American social class system, issues of labor and work, changing American values, and notions of success and the American dream. Completes General Education Requirements: WC-R, LAS
Prerequisites :
ENG 101 Effective College Writing
Short Title : ENG 112
Course Code : ENG 112
Course Description :
This writing intensive course focuses on the westward movement (frontier exploration) as a means to explore human nature: fears, strengths, weaknesses, and bravery in the face of adventure and adversity. This will be accomplished by reading and film analysis. The main purpose here is to develop critical thinking and expository writing skills through the study of, and written reaction to, elements of the western genre (short story, drama, and poetry). The work will consist chiefly of discussion and written essays, with emphasis on audience awareness, clarity, organization, logic, articulation and fluency. Students will also have the opportunity to further develop their library research skills. Completes General Education Requirements: WC-R, LAS
Prerequisites :
ENG 101 Effective College Writing I
Short Title : ENG 115
Course Code : ENG 115
Course Description : This course will provide students with an analytical framework for interpreting perhaps our nation?s greatest contribution to world literature, nature-based writing. Particular emphasis will be placed on wilderness encounters as seen in its classic, mostly American, environmental writers from the early republic to more recent times. Explorers like Meriweather Lewis, naturalists like William Bartram, poets like Henry David Thoreau, artists like John James Audubon, adventurers like John Wesley Powell, scientists like E.O. Wilson, preservationists like John Muir, conservationists like Aldo Leopold, and philosophers like Thomas Merton will help the class dive into the issue that has always vexed us: how do we live rightly on this planet? (3 hours lecture). Prerequisite: ENG 101 Effective College Writing I Completes General Education Requirements:RE-R, WC-R, SC-R LAS
Prerequisites : Prereq: ENG 101 Lecture Min Grade: D Min Credits: 3.00 Or ENG 101 Advanced Studies Min Grade: D Min Credits: 3.00 Or ENG 101 Lecture Min Grade: TR Min Credits: 3.00
Short Title : ENG 200
Course Code : ENG 200
Course Description : In this course the student learns by writing and by analyzing essays, both professional models and student themes. Students will analyze contemporary writers as an aid to the study of style and technique. (3 hours lecture). Prerequisite: ENG 101 Effective College Writing I Completes General Education Requirements:WC-R, LAS
Prerequisites : Prereq: ENG 101 Lecture Min Grade: D Min Credits: 3.00 Or ENG 101 Advanced Studies Min Grade: D Min Credits: 3.00 Or ENG 101 Lecture Min Grade: TR Min Credits: 3.00
Short Title : ENG 210
Course Code : ENG 210
Course Description :
From the Exploration and Colonial periods through the Civil War, this course surveys the writings of explorers and Americans of diverse backgrounds in an attempt to understand the character of the American experience. Along with such classic authors as Franklin, Thoreau, Poe, and Whitman students will read and discuss the journals of explorers, diaries of colonial settlers, slave narratives, and Native American poetry and prose. Prerequisite: ENG 101 Effective College Writing I
Completes General Education Requirements:RE-R, WC-R, SC-R, LAS
Prerequisites :
Prereq: ENG 101 Lecture Min Grade: D Min Credits: 3.00 Or ENG 101 Advanced Studies Min Grade: D Min Credits: 3.00 Or ENG 101 Lecture Min Grade: TR Min Credits: 3.00
Short Title : ENG 211
Course Code : ENG 211
Course Description :
This course forms the second half of a survey of the rich literary life of the United States from Reconstruction, westward expansion, and the era of industrial and urban development to more recent times, the Depression, World War II, the Cold War, and the Vietnam era. The fiction, poetry, and non-fiction prose of our many peoples will be examined as they comment on the nature of the American story. Selections from Native American, Hispanic, African-American, Jewish and other traditions will be read and discussed along with the works of such traditional figures as Mark Twain, Henry James, Ernest Hemingway, Robert Frost, and William Faulkner. Prerequisite: ENG 101 Effective College Writing I Completes General Education Requirements:RE-R, WC-R, SC-R, LAS
Prerequisites :
Prereq: ENG 101 Lecture Min Grade: D Min Credits: 3.00 Or ENG 101 Advanced Studies Min Grade: D Min Credits: 3.00 Or ENG 101 Lecture Min Grade: TR Min Credits: 3.00
Short Title : ENG 220
Course Code : ENG 220
Course Description :
Combined lecture and workshop in the writing of poetry, fiction, and drama (emphasis may vary). As background to the writing itself, attention will be given to the creative process and to necessary elements of craft and of tradition. In addition, an emphasis will be given to creative non-fiction, often referred to as the fourth genre, and with a special focus on personal essay. Prerequisite: ENG 101 Effective College Writing I (WC-F). Completes General Education Requirements: WC-R, RE-R, LAS
Prerequisites :
ENG 101 Effective College Writing I (WC-F)
Short Title : EST 220
Course Code : EST 220
Course Description : Permaculture is defined as the conscious design of human systems, both natural and social, that have the diversity, stability, & resilience of natural ecosystems. Permaculture is a powerful and internationally-recognized form of design science that has become increasingly important since its emergence in Australia about 30 years ago. Working with nature, permaculture provides a well-established route to create human environments that mimic the sustainable, resilient, and energy-efficient natural environments we see all around us. Permaculture is concerned with the study and practice of the way human beings ? as individuals and societies ? can participate in the creation of ethical and ecological support systems. Incorporating traditional knowledge, modern science, and natural patterns of the living world, permaculture design is applicable to farms, gardens, neighborhoods, and towns in both rural and urban settings. Prerequisites: ENG 101 Effective College Writing I and an Analytical Reasoning & Scientific Inquiry Foundation level course. Completes General Education Requirements: WC-R, AR-R, SC-R, LAS
Prerequisites : Prereq: Lecture: ENG 101 Lecture Min Grade: D Min Credits: 3.00 Or ENG 101 Lecture Min Grade: TR Min Credits: 3.00
Corequisites : Coreq: EST 220 Lecture, EST 220 Lab
Short Title : HST 201
Course Code : HST 201
Course Description : This course studies the history of the United States to Reconstruction. Origin and development of America and its institutions from the discovery of the New World to the close of the Reconstruction Period. (3 hours lecture). Completes General Education Requirements:SC-F, WC-R, LAS
Short Title : HST 202
Course Code : HST 202
Course Description : This course studies significant cultural, economic, political, and social forces from 1877 to the present. Among the topics covered are industrialization, social and political reform movements, foreign policy, World Wars I and II, the Great Depression and the Cold War. (3 hours lecture). Completes General Education Requirements: SC-F, WC-R, LAS
Short Title : REC 133
Course Code : REC 133
Course Description : This course focuses on the theory and practice of nature-based, experiential education programming in a variety of settings including nature centers, parks, classrooms, and the backcountry. Theoretical and strategic topics include learning theories, advancing environmental literacy, and the planning, implementation and evaluation of environmental education lessons, interpretive media, and experiences. Practical topics include practicing techniques of interpretation (interpretive talks, presentations, programs, trails, exhibits, visitor centers, digital imagery, etc.), writing and speaking in interpretive programs. The primary focus of the course is on techniques of personal interpretation. (3 credit hour) Completes General Education Requirements:WC-R, RE-R.
Short Title : SOC 210
Course Code : SOC 210
Course Description : This course will trace the roots of the change, unrest, protest and lifestyle shifts of the era known loosely as The Sixties, as well as delve into the sixties themselves and their consequences, both short and long-term. The focus will be on both political and social history. In addition to exploring the standard causes and effects of historical approach, the students will be exposed to popular music, writing and trends of that period. In-depth reading will be required, as will extensive student writing. There will be a research component, a mandatory final exam and quizzes. (3 hours lecture) Completes General Education Requirements:WC-R, SC-R, LAS
Students apply knowledge from classroom learning to on the job employment experiences that support their career goals. Students are required to complete a minimum of 400 hours of documented work experience. This course satisfies the Associates degree requirement and the first half of the baccalaureate degree requirement for industry work experience. Students must complete a minimum of 200 work hours at any given Internship site. Assistance with Internship placement is available through the Office of Hospitality Internships.
Current ServSafe Certification required for graduation.
Diane Litynski
Pickett Hall 105
(518)327-6037
dlitynski@paulsmiths.edu