Professional Cooking Classes at Top South African Culinary School

Cooking classes are essential for those who are serious about building a career as a professional chef with good future prospects, and they are the solution for anyone who needs to cook but never learnt how.

Chefs and Cooks, Across the Board

At the Prue Leith Chefs Academy in Centurion, we offer a variety of cooking classes that cater for all levels and types of chefs and cooks across the board. Since our establishment in 1996, we have become well known and highly regarded for the standards of excellence of our professional chefs’ education and training courses, which include theoretical and practical food-preparation methods, techniques, trends, cuisines, cooking classes, and associated programmes. Specialist courses are also offered to qualified chefs who wish to specialise.

Reputation for Excellence

We have built our proud reputation on these cooking classes, plus our standards of excellence in all we offer and provide to our students and the hospitality industry in South Africa and other countries. Several of our graduate chefs have gone on to work abroad in the kitchens of award-winning chefs. Because we are constantly assessing demands and identifying gaps and training needs within the professional and broader culinary worlds, we have recognised additional needs. Consequently, we have also introduced a range of short, part-time cooking courses at the Prue Leith Academy to satisfy such requirements.

Short Cooking Courses

These programmes are great as a brief brush-up for qualified chefs, for novices who do not know anything about cooking and are terrified at the thought of boiling anything other than water, and moderately experienced or advanced home cooks. Our courses are ideal for anyone who wishes to learn more about baking and cooking under the instruction and supervision of expert professional lecturers in a professional kitchen environment – the Prue Leith training kitchens at the academy. Here are all our short courses:

• Meet your Kitchen – 12 classes.
• Kitchens of the World – 1 day.
• Passionate about Poultry – 1 day.
• Fabulous Fish – 1 day.
• Summer Salads – 1 day.
• Valentines Couples Cooking – 1 day.
• Taming Fire: Mastering the Art of Braaing – 1 day.
• Certificate in Sugar Craft – 11 weeks.
• Advanced Cakes and Decorations – 5 days.
• Basic Baking – 1 day.
• Valrhona Chocolate & Sugar Confections – 1 day.
• Secrets of Seafood – 1 day.
• Versatile Vegetables – 1 day.
• Mastering Meat – 1 day.
• Menu Planning, Plating and Trends – 5 days.
• Art of Bread Baking – 2 days.
• Art of Tarts – 1 day.
• Art of Pasta & Sauces – 2 days.
• Festive Baking & Decorating: Christmas – 1 day.
• Festive Baking & Decorating: Easter – 1 day.

Depending on demand and the season, the availability of these short cooking courses may vary. We keep our classes relatively small and manageable, so that each short-course student receives personal attention as and when needed, so it is advisable to reserve your place now.

Students who are thinking of enrolling for full-time, professional chef courses may wish to attend our open days on 6 April, 4 May, 1 June, and 16 July 2019. Additional details are posted on our website, as well as more information on all our courses and cooking classes.