Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts in Boulder, Colorado has announced a new stand-alone, plant-based pastry course, Foundations of Plant-Based Pastry 1, starting on October 1. Registration is open to the public now through September 30 for the six-week course designed for students interested in exploring the fundamentals of plant-based pastry making and preparing pastries and confections with plant-based ingredients.

Escoffier launched its first-ever Plant-based Culinary Arts Degree and Diploma programs in 2021, to help meet the growing demand for nutritious, plant-based cuisine and sustainable cooking practices in the restaurant and hospitality industry. The new course allows students to utilize the same plant-based principles, focusing solely on desserts and pastry items.

“We’re taking our plant-based curriculum into the sweet dessert space. Students will apply basic pastry techniques and get into the science of ingredient interactions, how to balance flavors and textures while using the right tools to create plant-based cookies, pastries, pies, tarts, pudding and other confections,” says Kirk T. Bachmann, provost and president of Escoffier’s Boulder campus.

Led by Escoffier pastry arts chef instructor and plant-based baking professional Sarah Jardine, classes of up to ten students will be held every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 6:00-9:30 pm, from October 1 to November 7 at the Boulder campus. Students can earn a certificate of completion and can request to apply course credits toward a degree or diploma program.