A career that has you surrounded by pastries, cakes, chocolates and other sweets? You’re probably thinking, sign me up! But what if you didn’t get to taste the goodies you made—rather, you had to make them for other people? For Fabian DOH Cheong Huat, giving desserts away is still a rewarding career. “Being able to prepare, from basic raw ingredients, a palatable finished baked product and everyone appreciating [it] is good enough for me,” Doh says. “The rewarding thing about being in the baking industry is seeing a constant flow of fresh new concepts, innovation, creativeness and new baking styling.” Doh’s career has risen like a loaf of well-tended bread. He started as an apprentice baker more than 20 years ago and is now principal of Prima-SPRING Singapore Baking Industry Training Centre. And though bakers aren’t as highly regarded in this region as much as in, say, France, those with baking skills are still sought after by the hospitality industry. You could work for a hotel, restaurant or resort. Bakers sometimes also become food technologists, stylists or critics, pastry cooks, chefs or Asian-food specialists. Bakers with developed specialties are the ones most heavily recruited. In addition to being articulate in breads, cakes and pastries, Doh says bakers should also develop an especially marketable strength. For example, consider becoming a chocolatier, a wedding-cake decorator or a sugar-craft specialist. “It is indeed a very competitive field,” Doh says. “The baking industry requires a lot of passion, pounds and pounds of patience, creativity and a good sense of artistry. And…being able to maximize [your] sensory to the fullest, such as smell, touch, taste, see and feel.” Bakers also have to be knowledgeable of the machines they use, sanitation and safety. “The other responsibilities are understanding oven management, recipe adjustment, baking processes and techniques,” Doh says. As a baker, be prepared to work irregular hours. If you’re preparing breakfast, plan for an early shift—sometimes starting as early as 3 a.m. Love food, but can’t even bake a cake? Doh suggests considering a career as a food stylist, a food critic, a food marketer or an ingredients sales person…in a bakery, of course.
