Based in Ferrières-en-Brie, east of Paris, at the heart of the Château de Ferrières ecosystem, this programme in the sweet arts immerses students in the codes of hospitality and luxury from the very first day. Laboratories designed for intensive practice, the bistronomic restaurant Le Chai, the Château's event spaces and the Madeleine by Ferrières bakery-patisserie all provide genuine professional settings, where technique meets the expectations of a demanding clientele.
The programme covers every fundamental of the pastry chef's craft: choux pastry, tarts and filled pastry cases, travel cakes, macarons and petits fours secs, prestige desserts, entremets and counter pastries, through to the art of chocolate, fine confectionery and the great classics of French pastry. Dedicated masterclasses — croquembouche, bread-making, viennoiserie — enrich the course. Teaching is delivered by professional chefs chosen for their expertise and their exacting standards.
Open from the age of 18, with no technical prerequisites, this pastry course for adults is aimed at young enthusiasts and career changers alike. It prepares students for the role of commis pastry chef, the entry point to a career with strong progression potential — pastry chef de partie, restaurant or hotel pastry chef — and allows graduates to sit the CAP in pastry as an independent candidate on completion of the course.
With two intakes a year, in January and October, teaching in French and in English and a partner network spanning five continents, the pastry programme at Les Ateliers Ferrières reports a 100% employability rate on completion of the certificate. A guaranteed placement, outstanding chefs and a unique setting: everything you need to turn your passion into a profession.
Why train in pastry at Les Ateliers Ferrières?
French pastry is one of the most exportable disciplines in the world. Artisan shops, palaces, fine-dining restaurants, chocolate houses, event caterers: pastry kitchens and sweet brigades are looking for trained, precise and creative professionals, in France and internationally. A short, intensive pastry course is the most direct route into these careers, whether you are a young school-leaver with a passion for the sweet arts or an adult changing career.
Les Ateliers Ferrières, part of École Ferrières, offer an 8-month pastry programme built on a balanced alternation between technical learning and professional immersion: 16 weeks of intensive training at Les Ateliers, then 16 weeks of work placement, guaranteed for every student. This short, vocational format allows graduates to join a pastry kitchen or sweet brigade as a commis pastry chef immediately on completion of the certificate.
A complete programme, from the fundamentals to haute pâtisserie
The pastry programme at Les Ateliers Ferrières is structured around 14 progressive modules, taking students from the essential foundations to techniques of excellence. The first modules lay the fundamentals: the art of choux pastry, tarts and filled pastry cases, travel cakes and moelleux, macarons and petits fours secs. The course continues with sweet snacking, prestige desserts and plating, entremets and counter pastries, then opens onto exceptional skills: the art of chocolate — techniques, moulding and decoration — fine confectionery and chocolate work, and the classics and great creations of French pastry.
Dedicated masterclasses punctuate the course: croquembouche, bread-making and viennoiserie, led by guest chefs. Beyond technique, students learn to understand how a brigade works, to master the professional vocabulary, to read a recipe, to identify the quality criteria of foodstuffs and to apply the hygiene and safety standards in force.
Professional chefs
Teaching is delivered by professional chefs, chosen for their expertise and their exacting standards. Desty Brami, runner-up in the 2014 French dessert championship, honed his craft in the leading houses: the Plaza Athénée alongside Christophe Michalak, Restaurant Guy Savoy (three Michelin stars) and the Four Seasons George V Paris, where he headed the pastry kitchen. The creator of the pastries served in the Château's restaurants, he supports students throughout their studies. Teaching is delivered by a chef who is bilingual in French and English, an asset for international careers as well as for students coming from abroad.
A unique learning setting near Paris
Studying at Les Ateliers Ferrières means learning the pastry chef's craft in a rare environment: the Château de Ferrières, in Ferrières-en-Brie, Seine-et-Marne, on the immediate outskirts of Paris. Students work in highly equipped pastry laboratories, designed for intensive practice and technical progress. The bistronomic restaurant Le Chai, the event spaces of the Château's reception rooms and the four-star Paxton MLV hotel serve as genuine professional settings, while the school's bakery-patisserie offers a showcase of excellence where students' creations meet a demanding clientele.
This immersion can extend into a rich student life: masterclasses, internal culinary competitions, participation in professional contests, gala dinners, formal buffets or professional visits to producers and artisan houses.
What careers follow a pastry training course?
The programme prepares students for the role of commis pastry chef, the starting point of a career with strong progression potential: pastry chef de partie, restaurant or hotel pastry chef, production manager in confectionery or chocolate. The sectors open to graduates are many: artisan patisserie and luxury boutiques, luxury hotels and fine dining, high-end chocolate and confectionery, event catering — wedding cakes and bespoke creations — or entrepreneurship in the sweet arts: patisserie, tea room, studio. Students who wish to may also sit the CAP in pastry as an independent candidate on completing the course. The Ferrières network, present on five continents, opens the doors of the leading houses in France and internationally, with a 100% employability rate on completion of the certificate.
Admissions: a pastry course open without technical prerequisites
The pastry programme at Les Ateliers Ferrières is open from the age of 18, with no qualification requirement and no previous experience in pastry. Selection takes place in two stages: a review of the application file — CV, covering letter, proof of identity — submitted through the online portal, followed by a motivation interview, on campus or online. Results are communicated within two weeks at most. Two intakes are organised each year, in January and October. Complementary options — entrepreneurship, AI and 3D food printing, plant-based cooking and nutrition, English or culinary French (FLE) — allow each student to tailor the programme to their career plans.
