E-ZINE | Sunday Times Chef School Directory 2021

Welcome to the fifth edition of the Sunday Times Chefs School Directory, a comprehensive guide to the courses and qualifications offered by a wide selection of cookery schools and hospitality institutions in SA. 

The seed for the first directory was planted by the many requests we received from readers for recommendations and information on where they could learn to cook or launch a career as a chef. We realised that there was a great need for this directory, which has become a valuable resource for anyone considering a career in the hospitality industry.

Why encourage anyone to enter an industry which has borne the brunt of the global pandemic, you may ask? In the words of Chef Stephen Billingham, head of HTA School of Culinary Art in Joburg: “We know the industry will recover and people always need to eat — and food is medicine.”

Billingham added that anyone wanting to enter the profession should consider doing their studies now, because “there are going to be massive opportunities in a 'new normal' world and a qualification in the hospitality industry is your ticket to a job — in SA and around the globe”.

While updating the directory we discovered that all schools/institutions have found innovative ways of offering tuition and practical training during Covid-19. The bad news is that some schools have been forced to close, while others have postponed intakes.

This is a guide to the institutions and schools offering cheffing and cooking courses. It is merely the starting point because a lot of hard work and long hours will follow, but a qualification in the hospitality industry is a big investment:

• Do your research before making your choice of where to study. Go to the websites, search the internet, find out who has attended these places and how the courses have benefited them. Speak to students both present and past and call them for references.
• Have a clear understanding of what the fees include and what they don't. Remember that equipment is expensive.
• Visit the schools if you can. Request a tour of the facilities. Note the equipment, hygiene standards and other resources.
• Inquire about jobs in the industry and whether the place you choose to study will assist in finding placements once you have completed your studies.

Being a chef is not easy, and for most it is not enormously lucrative. But for those who follow cheffing as a calling, it can be immensely rewarding.

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