Chefs School in Gauteng

Searching for A Top Chefs School in Gauteng

Virtually anyone searching for a top chefs’ school in Gauteng is bound to start their quest for information by utilising a search engine like Google. Entering your search terms is the most efficient way to find all the local chefs’ schools listed on the Internet. And, when Googling for chefs’ schools in Gauteng, you will find that one name is bound to always pop up, and that is Prue Leith Chefs Academy, our premier school of culinary arts and wine, conveniently situated in Centurion, between Gauteng’s largest cities of Pretoria and Johannesburg.

Synonymous with The Culinary Arts

The name of Prue Leith CBE, our school’s patron, is synonymous with the culinary arts and with catering excellence throughout the English-speaking world and beyond. South African-born Prue found that her passion for food and fine dining led to what was to become her illustrious career and international fame in the wide world of fine food. This included its preparation, presentation, and enjoyment. Her endeavours eventually led to a Michelin star for her own restaurant in London and a richly deserved British CBE.

Forward Thinking Founders

Our Gauteng chefs’ school was founded by three forward-thinking, innovative entrepreneurs, who were, at the time, all directly involved in the hospitality industry. In this field, most major role players are acquainted with each other in some way and are also acutely aware of the challenges they jointly face in the industry. This trio came together to solve a common problem that seemed almost impossible to overcome on the South African scene – finding qualified, competent chefs with the experience, expertise, and qualities that met their expectations and high standards – locally.

In this context, “locally’ was the defining term, because finding qualified chefs with the essential standards of culinary excellence required in South Africa – or who were locally trained – turned out to be almost impossible and clearly a common problem in the industry. Because the local supply of suitable qualified chefs was inadequate, such people had to be sourced from abroad and brought to South Africa, sight unseen, which meant that they were not always suited to the job either.

Addressing and Solving A Pressing Problem

So, they realised something had to be done and was not about to accept defeat. Having identified a problem, they knew it had to be addressed and solved somehow, so they set out founding a chefs’ school in a suitable location. The year was 1996, the place was Centurion, in Gauteng, and the school, which was to become a top training centre of culinary arts, would also become widely known and respected throughout South Africa as the Prue Leith Chefs Academy – the top chefs’ school in Gauteng and the entire South Africa.

After presenting their business plan, curricula, and proposal to Prue, accompanied by a request to use her highly respected, instantly recognisable name for the new school, this gracious lady was taken with their idea, agreeing to the use of her name by a third party for the first time ever. Prue Leith Chefs Academy was born, opening its doors to students and passionate, aspirant chefs in 1997. And so began the illustrious heritage of the best chefs’ school in the country.