Hey GVL — Keaton here, Senior Account Manager at 6AM City. 👋 I had the opportunity to hang out with Chef Kristen Grissom at the Culinary Institute of the Carolinas at Greenville Technical College, getting a tour of the state-of-the-art facilities + trying my hand at cake decorating.

The Culinary Institute of the Carolinas offers four programs, including Baking and Pastry Arts. All courses are built from requirements for American Culinary Federation Education Foundation Accrediting Commission (ACFEFAC) accreditation, meaning the programs stay current with industry expectations.

I got to have my own “Nailed it” experience during a preview of the Baking & Pastry Arts class, where I learned the techniques and pro-tips for decorating a cake. Read on to learn how you can Try This and become Greenville’s very own Cake Boss. It’s the perfect opportunity to get started in a new career with zero tuition this Spring Semester.

Keaton and Joshua practicing their cake decorating techniques taught by Chef Kristen Grissom | Photo by the GVLtoday team

What we tried (with pricing):

Located at Greenville Tech’s Northwest Campus, Chef Kristen gave me a tour of the impressive facilities, including five kitchens + an upscale dining room where students can simulate a real-world dining experience for guests.

We rounded out the tour with our final stop, the Baking and Pastry Kitchen (read: where the real fun began). I learned step by step how to decorate a cake — everything from assembling the layers to creating the decorative roses on top + pro tips including:

Always pre-bake your cakes (you never want to ice a cake the same day you bake it)
Too much filling will make your cake layers slide
You can run your spatula under hot water to make your buttercream perfectly smooth

Applying for the program is free, with zero tuition thanks to the SC Workforce Scholarship of the Future program.

Keaton placing her second rose on top of her cake | Photo by the GVLtoday team

What not to miss:

The Culinary Institute of the Carolinas is committed to being a no-waste facility, meaning you won’t find single-use plastics (except gloves, of course) + they donate extra food to Loaves and Fishes.

Any food that cannot be donated or repurposed gets composted. When cutting our cake layers, Chef Kristen even made a point to save all extra cake crumbs to be used for cake pops.

Compost chambers at the Culinary Institute of the Carolinas at Greenville Technical College | Photo by the GVLtoday team

What we’re still talking about:

Chef Kristen kept the lesson fun by offering interesting trivia facts. Did you know...

On average, a pastry chef in a grocery bakery only has 4 minutes to decorate a cake.
While today it is tradition to eat the top layer of your wedding cake on your first anniversary, back in the day it was tradition to eat it on your first baby’s christening, as most couples were having a baby within their first year of marriage. As couples started having babies later on, the new tradition was adopted.
If you’re trying to hide a mistake while cake decorating, put it in the top right corner where people are least likely to notice it. (No wonder my dance instructor put me in the back right of our recitals.)
Cakes can be frozen (and still taste great) for 2-3 months.

Chef Kristen Grissom prepping the icing for decorating | Photo by the GVLtoday team

How you can experience this:

Enroll at Greenville Technical College for the spring semester and apply for the Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate in Applied Science.

The program is 3 semesters long, and courses include Bakeshop Production, Cake Decorating and Finishing Techniques, Artisan Breads, Plated Desserts, and more.

Things to know if you go:

Experience: Baking & Pastry Arts at the Culinary Institute of the Carolinas
Price: Zero tuition for the Spring Semester starting in January
Website: https://www.gvltec.edu/academics_learning/education-professional-studies/culinary_institute/index.html
Address: Northwest Campus, 8109 White Horse Rd., Greenville, SC
Hours: Class hours vary
Social: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube*

Keaton’s finished cake | Photo by the GVLtoday team