Cooking Schools Pretoria
There are a number of cooking schools in Pretoria and the surrounding areas, and without any doubt the large majority of them are excellent cooking schools, but are they exactly what you are looking for? Situated in the pleasant garden suburb of Hennopspark, a suburb of Centurion, which is halfway between Johannesburg and Pretoria, is the Prue Leith College of Food and Wine. This college may be a little too advanced for a few people, but there is no doubt that it is the best choice when all is said and done.
Prue Leith is the patron of this small college. She, herself, is a dedicated and internationally renowned culinary expert who has been decorated for her work in the catering industry in the United Kingdom. We had for a long time admired the improving standards of South Africa’s game lodges, hotel and restaurants but heeded their worries about the shortage of highly motivated and expert staff. With the democratization of the country and the subsequent boom in the tourist industry, it was evident that this shortage was not going to decrease unless something was done about it. And so, in 1997, we founded the college with the specific aim of filling a gap in the market.
Courses at the college last eighteen months and are split into three equal terms. The courses commence in January and July of each year. In order to be accepted at the college a student must have completed Matric with at least a standard grade pass, and must be eighteen years of age or older. Students are rostered into shifts, something that they can expect when they have graduated, and must report for training as rostered. From as early as the first or second week of the course students start practical “on the job” work in the college’s own restaurant, Prue Leith’s. Prue Leith’s is in the college grounds and seats 60 people. Students serve at table, cook, act as Maître d’Hotel and wine waiter, all under the supervision of a professional. Prue Leith’s has been awarded its Blaizon from the Chaine Des Rotisseurs and is currently listed in the top ten restaurants of Gauteng. During their third semesters students are placed in selected lodges and hotels as far afield as Ireland for six months in order to expose them to the realities and responsibilities of the actual workplace.
Before completing the thorough course students spend some time learning about African cuisine and Bush cooking in the school’s boma in the college grounds. As part of the curse the college offers the Cape Wine Academy Certificate course, which students are required to complete before they graduate. There is also a tour to the wine regions of the Western Cape subject to the minimum numbers being met. The Prue Leith College is undoubtedly the best of the cooking schools in the Pretoria region. Students graduate after eighteen months with a Diploma that is recognized throughout the culinary world.
