On a recent trip to London, I was astounded on a number of levels. Along with a very informative and gastronomically pleasing day at the Real Food show in Earle’s Court, where the sheer volume of producers offering green, organic, bio dynamic, free range, wild, and artisan produce was inconceivable in the South African context and very impressive,  I was also lucky enough to eat at three extremely good eateries namely Wild Honey, Arbutus(Both Anthony Demetre), and Smith’s of Smithfield’s (John Torode’s latest).

All three of these were an eye opener on various levels, and all were unique. It is quite amazing to see that as long as you have the right reputation (a Michelin Star also helps), the London foodie public will seek you out and empty their pockets in your establishment.
Even the most obscure of shop fronts on a side street in Mayfair may hide the latest and hottest London opening. In South Africa we are still at a stage where it may take 6 months to a year to reach some sort of predictable level of occupancy, and to have the public’s trust may take longer still. As we all already know – although many in the South African industry still bury their heads about it – the focus is on ingredients, knowing who produces them personally, aiming for the organic, bio-dynamic, and local stars, and shouting it from the rooftops. Those of you who have not yet cottoned on to this yet better quickly, because mark my words, our South African international travellers and connoisseurs, along with the legions of foreign guests we host every year, will soon start to insist on it and anything less just will not do. Trust me!

Alas, I was not just in London to taste my way through a food show, or wade through menu after menu in Mayfair. I had business to conduct and that took me primarily to the Thames Valley University’s(TVU) London School of Hospitality and Tourism. The recent winner of the Queen’s Anniversary Award for Further and Higher Education, and a long standing bright star in the UK and European Culinary universe. I met with the Head of School, Professor David Foskett, and what an interesting day it turned out to be.

With Prue Leith being a long standing supporter of the University, and herself holding an Honorary Doctorate from the TVU, David was very happy to block his diary for half a day and show me around. I met chefs, lecturers, students, and narrowly missed Heston Blumenthal who had cooked with the students the night before for the public in the onsite restaurant kitchen. To say that I was impressed is an understatement, the place took me completely by surprise. Maybe I hadn’t done enough homework and really should have expected a top world class institution. But knowing what I know about the South African equivalents,  my expectations were far lower. Hallways adorned with trophy cabinets, photo collages from gala diners showcasing the who’s who in the UK industry and others from the EU and USA, led me past lecture facility, after lecture facility, after state of the art kitchen until I had lost count. With government funding covering 50% of what I was seeing, it was very clear that David had his work cut out for him finding the rest of the capital. This brings me to the main reason why I am actually writing this. I need to explore the relationship between culinary training institutions in South Africa, and the industry they supply, and the ins and outs of this often nearly divorced couple.

By using the word ‘divorced ‘ to describe the relationship, what I mean is that there is little or no working relationship, or mutually beneficial partnership between the industry and training providers. Yes, there are of course some chefs who are actively involved with their favourite training institutions, and then there is also the long standing arrangement whereby industry’s top kitchens accept students on practical release for a short period during their training. There are also of course sponsors of ingredients and equipment, but they are in the minority. What I am angling at is the fact that South Africa’s top performers, our equivalent of the UK and European chef/restaurateur/hotelier elite, are almost absent from the training our students receive, aside from the time these students may spend in one of the top 25 kitchens in the country. I really do not believe that our star chefs and hospitality big guns realise what sort of an impact they can have on a class of young people who have chosen to be a chef as their career. Lecturers can only take the students so far, and no matter what they do can also only inspire and impassion a student so much. But an encounter with one of their local icons in an Academy environment where a lecture is planned or a kitchen demonstration is rostered, will leave them inspired, passionate, and dying to succeed in the industry that they have chosen. For the chefs reading this, imagine the impact it would have now if you attended a day workshop with Thomas Keller,  Joel Rubuchon, Grant Achatz, or for pastry chefs Paco Torreblanca. Think of how inspired and creative you would be, and what new ideas and angles you would take back to your kitchens and pass on to your chefs. There is really no difference , our students would feel the same, and you simply cannot get this type of value from a book, DVD, or practical class.

I mentioned Heston Blumenthal earlier, and he is a perfect example of this. On the night before I visited the TVU, Heston had cooked with students for a special dinner serving the public. Needless to say it was sold out, but to the students the experience was invaluable. I spoke to David Foskett about it, and he let me in on the fact that Heston had not even hinted at being paid for his time, he simply pitched up, gave of his time and vast experience, and happily went about his business. He says that none of the big names they see regularly at the TVU ever ask for payment. The point being that it not about the money, but rather about the students and their future in the industry. The TVU is 50% government assisted and the rest of the working capital is covered by tuition fees and sponsorship from industry.

Now, the first thing that will be said is that private training institutions like Prue Leith and others, who charge top dollar for their qualifications, should have to pay for this sort of participation. Well take it from me, with absolutely no government assistance what so ever, students are receiving a lot of bang for their buck I can assure you. Our students are our best advertisement, and to successfully train them to our high standard requires a highly qualified team and the best possible facilities. Not to mention getting their hands on the finest local and international ingredients at all times. The participation should be the industry’s way of putting back into training, and thereby ensuring the loyalty and quality of the pool of young chefs coming up through the ranks. If you are reading this and intend being in business for the next 10 to 20 years, the this will directly affect you. Who would not like to have a say in the quality and training of the chefs you will undoubtedly be employing.

This partnership with industry does not just stop at the chefs and there time,  but also desperately needs suppliers too. In most cases all it would take is the offer of one or two pieces of specialist equipment to get the students loyal to a product. Again it is not that the schools cannot to pay, although it has become harder and harder to kit out kitchens with the latest and greatest equipment without putting fees up. There is a definite ceiling when it comes to fees charged before the price becomes prohibitive. This is not a plea for free kitchen equipment but more a heads up to those who want their product being used by 100s of trainees every day, don’t wait to receive the purchase order from a school, rather identify the institutions you would prefer to support, and get them using the product. What better marketing tool could you have than students learning how to use your equipment in a controlled environment, loyal from the outset, and buying it the first time they are given the buying power to do so.

A case in point. Just a few weeks ago, Nico Steyn from Eureka Flour Mills, called of his own accord to offer to sponsor flower to the Academy. He has his reasons, not the least of which is that his is a premium priced product and rightly so, and that because the training institutions need to watch their bottom line, to ensure that his product is being used he is willing to completely sponsor it. This partnership will not make anyone rich, but will certainly ensure that every students at Prue Leith knows exactly what Eureka is all about, and they will almost certainly insist on it when they are the decision maker. We also have a valued partial sponsorship with Silikomart who sponsor specialist pastry equipment to our students, and another with Grant Sous Vide Baths. Both of these partnerships insure that all of our eager and soon to be qualified chefs are receiving hands on experience with the aforementioned products, which undoubtedly makes them more likely to use the products in the future.

We have many good relationships with practical sites, chefs, suppliers, and other industry professionals, and we nurture and work on every one of them. But what we are now going to work hard on is the next level of participation. We will make the time to fit this into our training, we will encourage guest chefs to cook with our students, we will make the time for Chefs and other industry professionals to have contact with our students because without this, in ten years, we will be no closer to levels of participation the UK, Europe, Australia, and the US enjoy to everybody’s benefit.

We are all busy, but this is too easily the excuse for not being evolved.  We need industry to be more involved, and the industry needs us to produce the highest quality graduates possible. Don’t wait to be approached, take the initiative and make the first move. I certainly am going to.