DiscoverU at KSU

Explore Baking and Pastry Skills This Summer at DiscoverU

KSU’s Community and Professional Education is offering another year of Baking and Pastry Basics and introducing a new course, Baking Finishing Touches, focused on cake and pastry decorating. Students can enroll in either course on its own or take both courses to build their skills and spend more time in the kitchen this summer.

Instructor Maureen Penniman smiling in a professional kitchen — Instructor Maureen Penniman brings 25 years of baking and food production experience to DiscoverU.

Learn from an Experienced Instructor

Returning instructor Maureen Penniman will guide students through the fundamentals of baking in the professional kitchen at the KSU Center. With 25 years of experience in food production, retail sales, and catering, Maureen shares practical techniques used in professional baking.

Students will learn a range of skills, from preparing short crust pastry and choux dough to icing techniques and decorative finishing touches. These courses allow DiscoverU students to explore baking as a creative hobby or as a possible career path.

What Students Can Expect

Baking and Pastry Basics

Baking and Pastry Basics at DiscoverU is designed to:

Provide participants with practical kitchen safety skills and food safety basics.
Offer hands-on experience working with six different types of pastries.

Baking Finishing Touches

Baking Finishing Touches at DiscoverU is designed to:

Introduce participants to a variety of decorating techniques, including piping, fondant, sugar work, almond paste, and more.
Build confidence in the kitchen through hands-on practice using pastry decorating tools and methods.
Encourage creativity as participants design and complete their own decorated projects.

A Look at Last Year’s Camp

Last year’s baking camp gave students the chance to practice new techniques, work together in the kitchen, and create finished projects they were proud to share.

DiscoverU students preparing pastry dough in the teaching kitchen — Students practice hands-on baking techniques in the teaching kitchen.

A DiscoverU student decorating pastries with icing tools — Participants build decorating skills through guided practice.

Completed student pastry projects displayed on a work table — Finished projects reflect creativity, technique, and attention to detail.

Q&A with Chef Maureen

What makes your DiscoverU class unique for students?: It’s creative and engaging, hands-on, and includes both individual and team-based learning. DiscoverU’s summer program introduces students to what is really important in baking and pastry careers.
What are the main life skills or career-building skills that your course offers to DiscoverU participants?: Students gain experience working in a professional kitchen while learning baking basics and higher-level pastry decorating skills. They also build teamwork, time management, quality control, and consistency in production.
What is the most important thing that prospective DiscoverU students should know about your course?: This course is fun. Students learn specialized baking techniques and put them into practice. Each student’s project reflects their knowledge and creativity, and mistakes become opportunities for learning.
What is your favorite or most exciting topic that you teach during DiscoverU?: Meringues. Students are always amazed by the process and the results.

Enroll This Summer

Spaces are limited, so early registration is encouraged. To learn more about enrollment, camp details, and common questions, visit the DiscoverU information and FAQ pages.

For students who want to continue building their baking skills, Community and Professional Education will soon offer a Baking and Pastry Certificate.

Enroll in Baking and Pastry Basics Enroll in Baking and Pastry Finishing Touches

Discover the Joys of Baking and Pastry at DiscoverU this Summer