Hotel cooking lessons for the ambitious chef

It is time to hang up the waiter’s apron. You love food and aspire to become a top cook. Your ambition is to be an executive culinary master at one of the large hotel groups and to run a five star kitchen. Preparing food for the masses and preparing cuisine in a five star kitchen are worlds apart and require different skills. To make that dream a reality you will have to enroll for hotel cooking lessons.

What to expect from the course

Job opportunities for qualified chefs are available, but distinguishing yourself from other chefs just as eager to get the job will not be that easy. You will need proper hotel cooking lessons from a world-renowned culinary institution and lots of practical training in proper kitchens at the hands of experts.

There is more than one way to break into the food job market, but all the avenues will require hard work, dedication and lots of passion. Some chefs start at the bottom of the food chain and never attend any hotel cooking lessons. It is the hard way and they have to go through the ranks to learn at the hands of a few temperamental chefs.

The easier way is to obtain a culinary qualification that will enable you to learn all the culinary disciplines in a proper training and demonstration kitchen. By enrolling for hotel cooking lessons, you can earn a culinary diploma. This immediately sets you apart from other aspiring cooks, and in most cases, will also improve the remuneration package.

About the college

Prue Leith College of Food and Wine offers a brilliant culinary diploma that covers all aspects of the food industry. The college has been offering culinary classes for the last ten years and has produced many well-trained culinary masters.

One of the culinary masters at whose hands students are taught is world-renowned chef Rudi Liebenberg. He has won numerous awards and forms part of the seven-member South African Culinary National team that took part in the Culinary Olympics held in German in 2004. With more than a decade of experience, a wealth of knowledge, and a passion for teaching young aspiring culinary masters, learning from this icon will definitely give you a head start.

At Prue Leith College, theoretical and practical training form part of the diploma course. The best part of this diploma course is the practical training. Students are placed at world-class venues where they work with and are mentored by some of the best chefs in the world. That is an impressive accomplishment to put on your CV.

International and local kitchens are used as training ground and students will see the inside of the some of the best five star kitchens in the world like:

  • Westcliff in Johannesburg
  • Walkersons in Dullstroom
  • The Saxon in Johanesburg
  • Sheraton in Dubai
  • Saxons Hotel in Rosebank
  • Sabi Sabi Game Reserve in Mpumulanga
  • Park Kenmare in Ireland
  • Merion Hotel in Dublin, Ireland
  • La Quartier Français in Franschhoek

The students are not expected to receive any remuneration during the practical work shifts. They are responsible for their own transport, but accommodation can be provided during the practical part of the hotel cooking lessons diploma course.

Other practical training

Students also gain practical knowledge during their hotel cooking lessons in the college’s restaurant, The Odd Plate. Students are responsible for the following:

  • Acting as a maître d’ Hotel
  • Waiter work
  • Table setting
  • Food and wine serving
  • Menu planning and pricing
  • Preparing and plating exquisite dishes
  • Serving and assisting in the bar
  • Recording of stock

Students attending hotel cooking lessons are also required to prepare performance checks for the restaurant. This will definitely prepare you for that dream job. Get to the next step in your career, contact us now to avoid disappointment.