Fine dining course
Attending a fine dining course that runs over 18 months at one of the most renowned culinary training institutions in the world, is something you may only have dreamt about, until today.
The Prue Leith College of Food and Wine, situated in Centurion South Africa, offers a limited number of students the opportunity every year to enroll for the best fine dining course in the world. Even if you have no prior experience in the culinary arts, you can apply if you have a Grade 12 behind your name, are older than 17 years of age and have the determination to succeed in the culinary world.
Overview of the fine dining course
The 18 month long fine dining course is divided into three periods of 6 months each. The first semester consists of an overview and introduction to the culinary arts. It involves lectures and attendance of cooking lessons in the state of the art demonstration kitchen where the fundamentals of gourmet preparation are learnt. Learning how to work with knives, organizing the kitchen, understanding culinary terms and getting a background on nutrients and menu planning also forms part of the first semester.
Once the groundwork has been done, students move onto the second or intermediary phase when a few lectures are attended, but more emphasis is placed on practical experience. Everything learnt in the demonstration kitchen gets meaning as students get to work in the onsite acclaimed Odd Plate restaurant and at the Prue Leith Catering Company.
Hands-on is the keyword as students train an equal amount of time in the hot and the cold kitchen divisions, as well as learn the art of Patisserie and the skills required for the front of house section.
The final semester is all practical and provides students the opportunity to apply their skills and learn under renowned culinary masters at world class kitchens of selected five star hotels, lodges and restaurants in South Africa and around the world. They are expected to complete a two month period at the selected venues with the benefit of having gained valuable experience and a reference for their CVs.
Pastry working and viniculture also form part of the diploma and provide students the opportunity to gain additional certificates in Pastry and Wines.
The Odd Plate restaurant
There is no better place to train than a first class eating establishment that has won numerous awards and is rated one of the top restaurants in South Africa by Business Day. Although a training restaurant, the Odd Plate doesn’t stand back for the top restaurants in the world. The practical experience gained at the restaurant provides students with another reference for their CVs.
The students work in shifts in the restaurant from the start of the fine dining course and gain practical experience in the planning and pricing of a menu, preparing and presenting a wide range of cuisine, acting as waiters, stock control and financial management, and attending to the bar. Each one of the students gets the opportunity to be the maître d’ Hotel.
In the senior phase of the fine dining course, the students are paired and are expected to run every aspect of the restaurant for a seven day period. It is also called the Menu Week and loved by all as it provides the students the opportunity to plan and present their menus and choice of gourmet meals. They are exposed to the ordering, supervision and motivational aspects of managing a restaurant as well.
Prue Leith Catering
The catering division provides students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the best of South African catering for a number of occasions such as private dinner parties, corporate functions, birthday parties and weddings. Since most of the catering is done offsite, students learn in a practical real life situation.
The comprehensiveness of the Prue Leith fine dining course prepares students for all aspects of the culinary trade through ongoing practical exposure at the demonstration kitchen, catering division, the restaurant and placement at top culinary establishments in the world. You too can participate in the exciting opportunities by contacting us or applying online for enrollment.
