Culinary arts is about preparing main dishes. Chefs and cooks prepare meats, seafood and vegetables for appetizers and main entrees at restaurants, cafeterias, and other venues. Whereas pastry and baking arts is more about desserts. Bakers and pastry chefs create complex presentation desserts, wedding cakes, artisan breads, cupcakes, candies, and more.

Culinary Arts

This type is where a chef works to make appetizers and the main courses for diners to enjoy. This typically involves understanding specific techniques like butchery and involves a little more intense management in the kitchen because you have to be quick so the food doesn't go cold.

Techniques: There are a few techniques this type teaches a chef which are essential tools to use in restaurants and a food career.

Seasoning: knowing how to add light or intense flavors to recipes with spices and herbs is essential for chefs.
Sauté: this will help you to quickly cook food and know how to toss it in a hot pan.
Plating: it's not just the taste of the food that needs to be done well, but placing it nicely on a plate is crucial. The plate should have a beautiful aesthetic that tells the story behind the food, something that's important when serving plates in a restaurant.
Preparation: this art requires that you carefully prepare ingredients in a certain way. Many recipes often need certain steps to be followed in order for that meal to turn out well. Cooks need to be careful to follow these to ensure the meal tastes how it's supposed to.
Chopping: chopping vegetables, spices, and meat correctly are critical when making meals. You'll discover how to use certain types of knives to cut various angles and widths with your ingredients.

Bakery

This is a branch of the culinary field and involves making bread, pastries, pizzas, quiches, cakes, and pies. However, this branch relies mainly on the use of an oven to bake the food. Unlike chefs, bakers can make both sweet and savory dishes and can specialize in certain areas. They can become patissier if they're interested in making pastries and desserts. For instance, a baker might enjoy making a certain pastry, like éclairs, so much that they decide to open a bakery that only sells this treat.

Techniques

Preparing Pans: you'll need to know how to butter and flour pans so food doesn't stick to it.
Melting Chocolate: melting chocolate might seem easy, but it's a very delicate task. You'll have to know how to melt it without it burning and losing its flavor.
Beating Sugar and Butter: when making desserts like cookies, beating sugar and butter is important. You need to make sure it's fluffy so the dessert turns out well, but at the same not overdoing it.
Zesting: putting a nice touch of color to desserts from the zest of fruits like lemons and limes can be fun. However, you'll need to make sure the zest doesn't give an overpowering taste to the food.
Dusting Sugar: you'll be taught how to dust sugar nicely over desserts so it doesn't clump together.
Kneading Dough: kneading dough can be tricky. You'll discover how you can properly do so to ensure it rises and bakes correctly.

Pastry

A pastry chef is someone who is schooled and skilled in the making of pastries, desserts, bread and other baked goods. Some pastry items may include cakes, cookies, cupcakes, pies, tortes and ice cream. Pastry chefs are employed in large hotels, bistros, restaurants, bakeries, and some cafés.

A pastry chef is typically found in a professional kitchen and is the station chef of the pastry department. As with other station chefs, the pastry chef may have other chefs or assistants within their department. Bakers may also be members of the pastry department in larger establishments. Some pastry chefs prefer to have their own small business, running a bakery or dessert shop.

Some responsibilities of a Pastry Chef:

Creating, testing and evaluating new pastry and dessert recipes
Keeping a budget for the pastry department
Buying fresh fruits and berries and ordering supplies from various vendors
Supervising chefs in training in the pastry kitchen
Discuss menu planning with the other chefs in the restaurant
Keeping the kitchen organized

If you like to view tertiary programs related to this article, click here to go to the list of Culinary Arts and here for Bakery and Pastry course recommendations. If you are not sure which path you want to pursue for your tertiary education, you should find this psychometric test here to be helpful in providing some aptitude breakdown and course suggestions upon completion of the test. Feel free to proceed to the test, it's free after all!

Differences between Bakery, Pastry & Culinary Arts

Culinary Arts

Bakery

Pastry

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