Cold Kitchen Curriculum
A five week in depth focus on Garde Manger covers the traditional disciplines of this section, but also includes lectures in herbs and spices, taste and flavour and studies in organic food and religious diets.
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FIRST SEMESTER
Hot Kitchen Curriculum
In this section, particular attention is given to the foundations of french cuisine where attention is mainly given to cooking methods and heat application, knife skills, meat and fish fabrication, stocks, classic sauces, vegetables, rice and grain preparations.
Pastry Kitchen Curriculum
Butter, flour, sugar, chocolate and cream are skilfully manipulated to create beautiful desserts, cakes, breads and friandise in this section. Achieving precision is one of the most important lessons that will be learned during the five weeks in the pastry kitchen.
Service Curriculum
Realising that front of house is an extension of the same standards and art that is practised in the kitchen is vital for any chef’s success. This curriculum teaches the art of professional service covering extensive wine and bar training, restaurant setup, fine dining and gueridon service, guest relations and more.
Finance Curriculum
A low food cost is as important to a good chef as the stock that he uses for his sauces. Cooking for a profit takes years of experience, but receiving lectures in this area is a good starting block, explaining the impact of wastage, ingredient cost and accurate stock takes on the bottom line.
SECOND SEMESTER
Pan African Curriculum
Africa has a phenomenal flavour repertoire, yet so few chefs use it. These lectures will unlock the flavours and ingredients of our continent and aims to educate students about our own fascinating culinary heritage.
Spice Route Curriclum
Following the earliest spice trade routes which shaped the modern world as we know know it, we explore the intriguing cuisines of the rest of the world from India and Indonesia where many of the spices originated from, to the America’s that were discovered during the Spanish search for India and its valuable spices.
Outdoor Cooking Curriculum
As a country blessed with exquisite natural resources, bush lodges play a significant part in our hospitality industry. It is therefore important that chefs cook confidently in the outdoors. This lecture will teach you how to start a fire from scratch and how to use it to achieve different cooking results, including spit and pit braai, smoking and roasting.
Advanced Classes Curriculum
During these lectures we build on the foundation laid during the first semester. We spend more time studying menu design (including culinary French), kitchen maintenance, design and management, sauce making, laminated dough, fish preparation as well as restaurant reviewing.
THIRD SEMESTER
External Practical Experience
This diploma course is designed to allow you to enter the industry one step at a time. In the first semester the basics are practised in the demonstration kitchen. During the second semester students also work in the Academy restaurant with guidance from their lecturers. In the third semester the apron strings are cut and student do their practical experience for six months in some of the country’s best restaurants and hotels.
