Finance
One of the subjects that is included in the curriculum of the Prue Leith Diploma Course is Finance and Management. At first glance Finance might appear to be a strange subject to include in a catering diploma, but it is, in fact, a very important element of the course content. Many of the young chefs-to-be who are taking this course have aspirations to own their own restaurant at some time in the future, and it is most important for Finance to be included as part of the course
The Prue Leith College of Food and Wine was started up in 1996 by Tiny Barnetson and Graham Ledger. The aim of the college is to encourage students to be enthusiastic about the profession they have started upon and to develop their natural talent. As well as learning how to cook a wide variety of different dishes, students receive instruction on all of the financial aspects of running and managing a top-class restaurant. This includes buying, the acceptance and checking of deliveries, the supervision of stock including storage and stock controls as well as menu costing and food cost calculations. The college also gives an optional course, which concentrates on the steps to be taken, specifically regarding finance, in the setting up a new business.
The college has plenty of excellent links throughout the catering industry and helps to place students in positions that are appropriate for them on the completion of their diploma. These positions can be either in South Africa or elsewhere. The Prue Leith Diploma is recognized throughout the catering industry at an international level, and the college trustees expect their graduates to be at the top of their profession within a few years of graduation. The finance and management training they have had during the course will help them to achieve this.
The Prue Leith College of Food and Wine is situated in a quiet garden suburb in Centurion and is in the grounds of the old Lyttleton Manor House. In order to meet the acceptance qualifications laid down for the Diploma Course a student has to have passed Matric and must have reached eighteen years of age. They will also have to fill in a comprehensive questionnaire and to sit before an interview board. If accepted, a student will find him/herself starting on a course in either January or July. After eighteen months and three semesters of diligent work a student may qualify for the Diploma. The academic training will have been substantial and the practical likewise. Students find themselves thrown in at the deep end when they are put on the evening shift in Prue Leith’s, the College’s own restaurant, very early on in their first semester. In the restaurant, which is open five nights a week, they are expected to take orders, to prepare, cook and serve meals, and to act as Wine Waiter, Front of House or Maître d’Hotel. Finance and management are learned first-hand in the college restaurant, where all work is supervised by the restaurant manager.
