Pastry is distinct from other types of cooking because you cannot just stick your spoon (or finger) in for a taste and then add a pinch of this and a pinch of that as you might when making a pot of soup. Most ingredients must be measured accurately because many formulas work on scientific principles. For this reason, the pastry chef must learn how different ingredients react with others and how and why ingredients respond to temperature, friction, and storage before he or she can create new recipes or troubleshoot existing recipes. A competent chef’s most important assets are common sense, self-confidence, and experience. These are the three things that cannot be taught. In the book Siddhartha by the German-born Swiss author Hermann Hesse, the wise sage tells his friend: “Wisdom is not communicable. Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, be fortified by it, do
wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it.” To be a first-rate pastry chef, you must have some artistic talent, a good sense of coordination and taste, and a steady hand. You must also possess some people skills and earn the respect of those working with you. You must be able to solve problems and hire the right people.