Culinary Schools and Training

List-Topping Culinary Training School

Once upon a time, talent, skill, a little experience and a keen palate may have been enough to secure employment as a professional chef whose services and culinary creations were sought-after by employers and diners alike, but that was then and this is now…

First Focus on an Accredited Qualification

Whilst these attributes will always be beneficial, it takes much more to head a professional kitchen successfully nowadays, beginning with obtaining a recognised, accredited qualification and top-quality training, undertaken at a reputable, specialised cooking school.

Prue Leith’s training academy comes to mind immediately as a shining example of a leading culinary training establishment, internationally recognised and yet located right here, in sunny South Africa. A formal Prue Leith Academy qualification opens umpteen doors for aspirant chefs – locally and internationally.

Factors Influencing Expectations of Excellence

Today’s world of hospitality and culinary arts is challenging and highly competitive – just take a look at Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen to get a better idea. While it’s true that there are more restaurants worldwide, meaning more jobs, and that ever more people eat out more often than was the case a couple of generations ago, the competition for getting good or top catering jobs is also more fierce than it’s ever been in the past.

One can expect that competition will increase in the future, as diners’ palates and expectations become yet more refined and sophisticated, because they’re increasingly exposed to higher levels of fine dining and evolving culinary art, at its best.

Moreover, modern technology also plays its part in “educating” diners in the arts of fine cuisine. Not only are there numerous TV shows, but even dedicated channels which foodies absolutely love and could sit and watch for hours if given the opportunity. Reality series, especially those which pit professional chefs or amateur cooks against one another, are particularly popular.

In fact, the patron of our culinary school, Prue Leith CBE, regularly judges at some of the most prestigious, professional competitions – the Great British Menu being one of them in which she regularly features.

(Royal) Household Name

While Prue Leith CBE is a household name amongst English speakers throughout the world, it’s nevertheless interesting to note that UK’s The Telegraph reported in 2014 that the Duchess of Cambridge, (formerly Kate Middleton and wife of the heir to the British throne, Prince William) “attended a two-week course at Leith’s cookery school in London” – surely an incredible and very credible endorsement of Prue’s lifetime dedication to and passion for training, always developing and improving standards in her chosen field – culinary arts.

Listed in Top Spot

Furthermore, on the internet, The Telegraph posted their list of 10 cooking schools in the UK, at which students could learn to prepare meals “fit for royalty”. Leiths School of Food and Wine (in London) tops the list, and is said to be “the crème de la crème of cookery schools”.

Although Leiths in London trains students from all over the world, you don’t have to travel to England in order to receive top-notch culinary training; you can do so locally, in Midrand/Centurion, Gauteng.

Here, Prue Leith Chefs Academy provides internationally accredited practical and theoretical training – at the very least, equal to that of the London school, and sought after, frequently demanded by discerning peers (and diners) in the local hospitality industry.