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Pastry Cook - Jonelle Archer
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Lime brulee, chocolate mud cake. It''s enough to make most of our mouths water, or maybe not. Maybe not if you''ve been mastering the art of pastry cooking for the past four years and have been sampling your wares on a daily basis.
Just ask Jonelle Archer, a recently qualified pastry cook. Jonelle has done the unthinkable and tempered her desire for the sweet and delectable.
''I loved tasting the cakes and desserts, especially in the first few years of the apprenticeship, I was in heaven, but after a while it does wear off. Now I just love making the cakes.''
One thing hasn''t changed though. Four years after beginning her apprenticeship, Jonelle says that it still feels incredibly rewarding to call herself a qualified pastry cook and to find that the occupation is as challenging and rewarding as Jonelle expected when she first started out on her creative journey.
''It has totally fulfilled my expectations. I learned so much during my apprenticeship and I''m continuing to learn so much.''
Of course, what pastry cooking apprentice doesn''t have the odd mishap? Jonelle has been there and done that and she says it''s part of the process. She recalls dropping a pot of hot, melting white chocolate on her black uniform and ''rescuing'' a wedding cake after a shelf collapsed on top of it. If dropping a cake suggests that there''s little hope of making it through this apprenticeship, think again.
During the 3rd and 4th year of her apprenticeship, Jonelle was already able to put her pastry cooking skills to the test. For two years running, Jonelle was an entrant in the Apprentice Pastry Cook of the Year. In the second year, Jonelle scooped 2nd place. Jonelle says that the full day''s worth of cooking and being placed under a microscope was well worth it after being judged by members of her industry.
''When I was looking at doing the apprenticeship I looked at some different places. I wanted to do it somewhere challenging and that''s what I found at The Glory Box.''
The Glory Box''s yummy cakes, mostly wholesale and wedding cakes, can be found at well-known establishments throughout Perth such as Cocos Restaurant and the chain of Oyster Bar restaurants.
Jonelle''s childhood passion for cooking and various cooking stints: including working at the Sheraton Hotel, a patisserie and a local tavern, have paid off. While she mostly did basic prepping, each stint reinforced her dream of becoming a pastry cook and paved the way for Jonelle to earn her Trade Certificate, which she did on September 8, 2005.
This has given her the opportunity to take on more responsibility in her workplace as there are several other apprentices employed at The Glory Box.
''I''m usually a reserved type of person but having the other apprentices onboard allows me to open up more. Teaching has become another facet of my job, which is another rewarding challenge.''
The recent Training Awards 2005 also enabled Jonelle to take her passion for pastry cooking and the industry to a different level. Each of the successful applicants was asked to give a presentation on a topic close to their heart and related to their industry.
''I am really concerned about the lack of people coming into this industry and into trades in general. We really need incentives out there to help turn this around and if we can get the word out there (through interviews such as this) and encouragement from industry about the industry and how great the work is, then maybe we can change the situation.''
Jonelle took an opportunity to shed some light on the concerns one might have about pastry cooking.
''Yes, you might earn the same or more in a different job that doesn''t require the four years of training but to me, if you''re after job satisfaction and the chance to keep learning then this job is great. And we do day shifts, not split shifts. Sure we might work until 7 or 8pm, at the latest, but we don''t start until 8am at the earliest. The best thing though is that this job offers so much creativity.''
The other important message that Jonelle wants to relay is that cake making and pastry cooking is not just for the boys, despite the job having its physical demands. Gender, she says, doesn''t matter. What matters is whether or not you have the creative drive needed to succeed.
For now, Jonelle wants to concentrate on learning as much as she can about her art, especially perfecting wedding cakes and some time in the future, exploring the world of chocolate making here and overseas.
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Acknowledgements |
Content courtesy of Louise Allan-Johnson. |
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