Hotel cooking school

Training for a career in the culinary industry at the Prue Leith hotel cooking school holds several excellent benefits including:

  • Exposure to a wide variety of chef job types.
  • Exposure to all aspects of restaurant work including the kitchen and front of house divisions and the bar.
  • Extensive training in catering.
  • Practical experience obtained through a two month internship at a selected restaurant, hotel or lodge in South Africa or elsewhere in the world such as Ireland, Dubai, and England.
  • Exposure to culture based cookery.
  • An excellent qualification recognized worldwide and recommended by top chefs
  • The privilege of studying under the best chefs in the world.
  • An additional certificate in Pastry making.
  • The potential of obtaining additional THETA accreditation.
  • Guaranteed placement or job if you get a distinction.

Training at the hotel cooking school is comprehensive enough to give you a head start in any of the following disciplines:

Chef de partie

Another term for it is the line chef and is where you will be responsible for a specific station in the kitchen. The teamwork and training provided in the Prue Leith Odd Plate restaurant will prepare you for running your own station. This is a definite must to be included in any hotel cooking school curriculum as you will normally work in a large kitchen setup at for example, the Saxons in Johannesburg.Specialist chef

Training will be provided in culture based cookery such as Pan African cuisine, which helps you to identify an area of specialization if you so wish. It can also for example be to only prepare and plate fish.Sous chef

Preparation for the leadership position of sous chef is also done. The sous chef is normally in command if the chief chef is not in the kitchen. Kitchen management, organization, sanitation, food ordering, projections, inspections and personnel management forms part of the job. Decorating food etc can also be part of your responsibilities.Chef de cuisine

You will not become the chief chef overnight, but with a diploma from the renowned Prue Leith hotel cooking school, you will definitely advance to such a prestigious position much faster than those with a less acclaimed qualification.Patisserie chef

Our additional certificate in Patisserie or pastry making opens the door for entrance into the bakery world as well as in becoming a patisserie chef responsible for all the sweets, and confectionery made in the kitchen. You will get even more exposure to this field through our extensive practical training in catering.Garde manger chef

This position entails the management of the cold kitchen and includes cold dishes, soups, sauces, meats and salads.

Saucier

This is another term for the person who works with meats and the preparation of stews and sauces etc.

No matter what your specific interest is, at the Prue Leith hotel cooking school, you will get in-depth instruction in both the hot and cold kitchen, catering, and all areas of restaurant work to provide you with a qualification that will give you a competitive edge in the culinary world. Apart from the above, our students are also required to learn the art of wine making and using wine with food through a certificate course at the Cape Wine Academy.

The hands-on experience gained through the work at the Prue Leith catering division and the onsite Odd Plate restaurant, combined with a strong theoretical basis, prepare students for the two month internship period at any of the renowned establishments on our list. Financial management also forms part of the curriculum, enabling you to enter a food manager position if you so prefer.

The diploma gained through the Prue Leith hotel cooking school enables you to enter a number of careers in the food, beverage and hospitality industries. As tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, you will be glad to have the qualification as it broadens your job horizons. To enroll, contact us or apply online today as only 30 students are accepted per semester.