Escoffier Online International Culinary Academy, the first-ever online culinary school, is shaking up the online education world once again with the Escoffier Baking & Pastry Academy, a comprehensive professional online certification program in the pastry arts. Like Escoffier Online's Culinary Fundamentals Program, which launched earlier this year, the Baking & Pastry Academy merges the convenience, accessibility, and affordability of an online education with a highly prestigious culinary curriculum. Registration is now open for the program's January opening. Tuition is$5,000, which includes 24x7 access, a personal chef mentor, and a professional toolkit of baking essentials.

"From Cupcake Wars to the Cake Boss, baking has become a cultural phenomenon, spawning a new generation of aspiring professionals and serious foodies. Unfortunately, enrolling in an intensive full-time pastry program is not always an option," says Chef Mark Dowling, Vice President of Academics and Executive Chef at Triumph. "Escoffier Online has built a reputation for putting professional culinary experiences within reach, and the requests for a dedicated online baking track have been pouring in. Our program will equip students with a knowledge of ingredients and sustainable practices that is increasingly relevant for today's bakers and pastry chefs."

Inspired by the world-renowned Escoffier name, the Baking and Pastry Academy offers a chef-designed program that covers the building blocks of a pastry arts education, teaching classical baking fundamentals alongside contemporary trends and techniques. Courses are comprised of a series of interactive learning modules featuring richly detailed video tutorials, guiding students through everything from key pastry ingredients and baking methods to cake decorating, sauces, custards, and more. Each module concludes with an assessment that includes self-evaluation and one-on-one mentor review.

As with all Escoffier Online programs, Baking and Pastry students will have constant access to lessons and support online – so they'll never have to worry about missing something due to splattered notebooks or views blocked by taller classmates. They can interact with their personal chef mentor as well as fellow classmates at anytime. In addition, students can build a customized online portfolio as soon as they begin the program, compiling course information, dessert images, mentor feedback, and more to create an instant virtual resume they can use to launch their professional careers.

Escoffier Online's Baking & Pastry Academy is designed to take two to four months, but students have up to one year to complete coursework. Upon completion of the program, students become "Escoffier Certified Patissier," with a diploma signed by Michel Escoffier, great grandson of the esteemed chef. Escoffier Online Baking and Pastry program has been approved and recognized by a number of leading culinary organizations, including the American Personal & Private Chef Association (APPCA), Chefs of Cuisine of Chicago, Inc, a Chapter of the American Culinary Federation (ACF), the Bread Bakers Guild of America (BBGA) and others. To enroll, or to find more information on Escoffier Online's Baking and Pastry Program, visit www.escoffieronline.com.