Champion Chefs Training College

Up to Date at Prue Leith’s Chefs’ Training College

During her visit to our chefs’ college in February 2020, our patron, Prue Leith CBE, participated in a number of exciting activities and new developments at our specialised school of cookery in Centurion, Gauteng – the Prue Leith Culinary Institute, previously known as the Prue Leith Chefs Academy. The latter name had applied during the previous 13 years, prior to Prue’s most recent South African sojourn.

A Tiny Taste of Prue’s Achievements

Throughout Prue’s life, she has reached many milestones since her indomitable spirit and zest for life and living knows no bounds. She is South African-born and accumulated many astounding achievements. Today, she is:

• A restauranteur;
• A Michelin-starred chef;
• An acclaimed author of cookery books and works of fiction (with food-related themes);
• Renowned and beloved television celebrity presenter and judge of British cooking and baking shows and competitions;
• The founder and supporter of numerous charities and charitable organisations;
• A highly successful businesswoman;
• The foodie celebrity who permitted us to use her famous name as that of our academy;
• A key figure whom we consult when making important decisions in matters concerning our training college, its courses, and curricula; and
• Patron of our chefs’ training college, the Prue Leith Culinary Institute, which bears her esteemed name and is the top culinary school in South Africa.

We’re extremely grateful to know that she is also proud of our nationally and internationally accredited institute. According to her, it is the right model for a chefs’ training college and specialised school of cookery. Official accreditation is vitally important for students, graduates, and their future careers.

Our national and international accreditations:

• City & Guilds.
• South African Chefs
• The Department of Higher Education & Training of the Republic of South Africa.
• CATHSSETA (the Culture, Art, Tourism, Hospitality, and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority).
• QCTO (Quality Council for Trades and Occupations).
• A registered, officially endorsed Trade Test Centre.

At the Prue Leith Culinary Institute, we are particularly proud of the most recent and lattermost accreditation on this list. The first accredited South African Prue Leith Chefs Trade Test Centre was established at our premises in Centurion – also the location of our culinary training college and the Prue Leith Restaurant.

Renewal at Our Chefs Training College

Relatively recently, and after almost 20 years as the preferred chefs’ college in this country, a R10,5 million investment was made in the renewal and upgrading of our training kitchens and lecture facilities, which are now modern, state-of-the-art amenities. The renowned Prue Leith Restaurant, a premier fine dining destination, which is staffed by the academy’s 2^nd commis students, is next in line for renewal and upgrade, which should be completed by spring 2020, in good time for a relaunch before the end of the first year of a brand-new decade.

Other new launches include Prue Leith “Broadcasting”, our innovative online food showcase, where recipes, techniques, articles, news snippets, reviews, and related matters will be shared via blogs, videos, podcasts, and the like, pertaining to our mutual passion – a love of fabulous food. Additionally, we will introduce various health-and-nutritional products, another innovation for our champion chefs’ training college.