Cold Kitchen Chefs

COLD KITCHEN CHEFS

One of the activities that fall into the curriculum at the Prue Leith Chefs’ Academy is that of cold kitchen chefs. For the uninitiated in catering terms, the Cold Kitchen, otherwise known as the Garde Manger, is that part of the kitchen where cold foods are prepared for serving at table. Many of the food items that you find in the cold kitchen will have been cooked by chefs in the Hot Kitchen beforehand, but it is here that cold kitchen chefs prepare such items as dressings, hors d’oeuvres, vinaigrettes and garnishes are prepared. Typically in the Cold Kitchen you will find:

• Dairy products: cheeses, milk, butter and yogurt
• Salad vegetables: tomatoes, lettuce, watercress, parsley etc.
• Cold meats: cold roasts, ham, tongue, salami etc.
• Cold desserts: fruits, fruit salads, ice creams etc.
• Others food items: Patés, cold pastries etc.

In the cold kitchen you will as a rule find refrigerators, freezers and a walk-in cold room.

The cold kitchen, or garde manger, is studied in some detail by student chefs at the Prue Leith Chefs’ Academy and is one of the main groups in the content of the Diploma course. Graduates of the college leave with the Prue Leith Diploma, which is recognized the world over as an excellent qualification. The college can be found in the Centurion suburb of Hennopspark, halfway between Johannesburg and Pretoria. The cold kitchen is an extremely important section of any restaurant, for it is here that the final touches are put to dishes immediately before they are served to customers.