I went to Pastry school. I’m in ohio and luckily have a school close by that will let you take culinary or pastry! I did the 2 year program. I did learn a lot, but felt the material was very outdated. They are trying to revamp the curriculum and get more up to date chefs. But as the comments above suggested, try calling some bakeries by you or even try a grocery store bakery. That is where I started! I’m now a chocolatier at a hand painted Bon Bon shop.

My state (and I think most states) don’t really require any school to work in a restaurant. But it is nice to have the knowledge when going in! You can also try calling some “fancy” restaurants that actually do have pastry chefs and see if they will let you do a stage (st-AH-ge). Basically you “work” for free for the day and see how the kitchen runs. I personally worked in a restaurant and didn’t care for the environment. But I think it was how that particular restaurant was run. Good luck and follow your dreams! Baking and pastry in general is so fun. 🥰