What’s Best for You? Attending Chef School Online or Physical Classes?

What’s Best for You? Attending Chef School Online or Physical Classes?

So, you’ve decided to undertake your next exciting step, and you are thinking about a career in the culinary arts. Now you have got some important decisions to make, and you’re wondering if you should enrol in an online course or attend a physical one. While online classes have become the way of the world since the Covid-19 pandemic, it becomes a trickier feat when courses have a practical component. Although online culinary courses are certainly better than no chef classes at all, if you have the option, we would advise physical, in-person courses at Prue Leith and our chef school.

When you attend full-time or part-time cooking courses at our chef school, you can enjoy the following benefits:

• State-of-the-art kitchen and high-end equipment: One of the greatest benefits of attending chef school in person is the fact that you will have access to incredible kitchen facilities, rather than that old rickety oven at home. At Prue Leith Culinary Institute, students can access our incredible kitchen with its R10.5 million upgrade. Our kitchen equipment is second to none, and students will enjoy premium equipment like Pacojet, induction hobs, sous vide baths, KitchenAid mixers, and more.
• Real-life experience: Another undeniable perk of choosing our physical chef school is the real-life experience benefit. This gives students the opportunity to transfer the concepts and skills learnt at chef school into a real-life setting, further enhancing their professional and practical skills. Students enrolled in our full-time courses will also gain real-world experience via placements at top culinary and hospitality institutions. Our full-time courses vary in length from six months to three years and include the following:

• Occupational Certificate: Chef (three years)
• ALMA: Professional Chef of Italian Cuisine (19 months, including a practical internship in Italy for elevated experience)
• Introduction to Professional Cookery (1 year)
• Professional Patisserie (18 months)
• Professional Patisserie (6 months)

• Boosts student confidence: Another benefit of attending physical classes is the confidence factor. Real-world classes boost student confidence by engaging them in numerous real-world experiences. This equips learners for a career in the culinary arts, exposing them to the fast-paced and exhilarating world of the professional kitchen. It also offers significant opportunities for our alumni to improve their soft skills such as communication, leadership, time management, active listening, delegation, conflict resolution, critical thinking, management skills, collaboration, problem-solving, and so much more. Added to this, by working with various prominent stakeholders in the industry, students will be able to enhance their culinary network, further ensuring success once they finish chef school.

Explore the World of Chef School with Prue Leith Culinary Institute

If you’re ready to take your next leap and embark on a culinary career, why not visit one of our open days? We’ll show you around campus and answer all those burning questions. For more information, read our FAQ section here, or give us a call on 012 654 5203. We look forward to meeting you and showing you the wonders of chef school.