A Sweet New Degree at Edmonds Community College

Do you love whipping up batches of baked goods in the kitchen? Are your cookies always the first gone at parties and potlucks? If baking is your passion, consider the newest degree being offered from.

“For the past two or three years we have offered a baking certificate, that was a one-year training program,” said Chef Instructor Charles Drabkin. “We are expanding that course into a two-year degree program that includes a lot of specialty baking. The degree is called the Associate of Technical Arts Baking Degree, and students enrolled in the program will learn a progression of decorating skills, as well bakery management."

Students will build off their first year, in which they learn the industry standards of baking through hands-on classes including Principals of Cooking, Baking Theory and Restaurant Operations. The second year focuses on finer skills such as specialty baking, which according to Drabkin includes chocolate making, artisan bread baking and candy making.

The head instructor for the course is pastry chef Betsy Buford, who has experience working in some of Seattle’s fine-dining establishments such as Ray’s Boathouse, La Campagne, and Falling Waters.

“For our baking certificate we’ve been training them to work in the bakery industry, but the degree will continue that work and hopefully give them a broader set of skills to use whenever and wherever they need them,” Drabkin said. “Also, students will acquire the skills to open their own bake shop if they wanted to, maybe not right away, but it will set them up for that opportunity in the future.”

The Baking Degree Program will start this fall at Edmonds Community College. For more information about enrollment and classes, visit the Culinary Arts Department website.