Top Chef’s Academy

Industry Acclaimed Top South African Chef’s Academy

Most dedicated people who plan a career, set out a carefully constructed career path for themselves. They don’t merely take whichever job is on offer, simply to earn an income with which to meet financial commitments and living expenses. Understandably, those who are passionate about their work will want to reach the top of their chosen field, especially if they happen to be particularly ambitious and/or decide to pursue a career in a creative industry – hair styling, fashion, music, interior design, or in a professional kitchen, as a chef.

Prue Leith Chefs Academy

Such ambitions are admirable. However, if you’ve made up your mind and are committed to becoming a top chef, it is important that you enrol to study and train at a top chef’s academy. In South Africa, this means one, and only one culinary school – Prue Leith Chefs Academy. It’s not that we’re tooting our own trumpet. Our industry peers and the South African hospitality industry hold our academy and our confident graduates in high regard. Many of them will only entertain applications from persons who have completed their culinary training by obtaining their professional, local, and internationally accredited qualifications at our educational facility. They have no hesitation in stating this when they advertise vacancies in the media.

We’re unashamedly proud of our institute’s name, which also happens to be that of our esteemed patron, Prue Leith CBE, a renowned and highly respected personality in the wonderful world of food, its preparation and presentation. Prue’s multitude of past accomplishments includes operating her own fine dining restaurant that was awarded a sought-after Michelin star, the very pinnacle of every professional chef’s dream.     

Top Academy Courses for Top Chefs

Whilst all our chefs’ courses are well subscribed, some of them stand out as being in particular demand, although not to the exclusion of all the others. The first two courses have two annual intakes – January and July, while the last one mentioned below, commences in July only and is completely unique in South Africa.

• Occupational Certificate: Chef – this is a brand-new, definitive 3-year, full-time course that offers a national qualification in conjunction with two City & Guilds qualifications, a diploma, and an advanced diploma. It is designed to extend the scope and complexity of our tried-and-tested, well-rounded Grande Diploma course, by incorporating an advanced curriculum and extensive external practical training. There is a strong focus on professional management training too.
• Grande Diploma in Culinary Arts & Wine – a course that combines theoretical knowledge with practical skills and experience in our training kitchens and the excellent Prue Leith Academy’s fine dining restaurant. The duration of training is 18 months of full-time attendance, spread across three semesters, of which the last includes additional external practical experience at some of the country’s top hospitality establishments.
• ALMA “Professional Chef of Italian Cuisine” – a joint programme between our academy and Italy’s top culinary training school, during which students train locally as well as in Italy for approximately 13 months in total, on a full-time basis. There’s an additional meaningful advantage – the cost structure and convenience factor are remarkably similar to those of local study.

There’s only one final recommendation with which to leave aspirant culinary professionals. If you want to be a top chef, ensure that you train at a top chef’s academy – Prue Leith’s.