When you hear the term catering
school you only think of cooking and the preparation
of food, but there is so much more to education in the culinary
industry. If you have a look at the curriculum presented
by the Prue
Leith College of Food and Wine as one of South Africa's
top catering
schools, you will see it covers every aspect of the
culinary art. What sets it apart is the emphasis the curriculum
places on teaching students the fine art of using wine to
complement food.
The Wine Course
It is compulsory for every student to complete the Cape Wine Academy Certificate course. The course teaches students the fine art of wine making, wine tasting and the pairing of wine and food. The course is done in the second semester of the three semester diploma.
Career options
One of the most exciting careers in the culinary industry is that of the sommelier or wine steward. Many fine restaurants have sommeliers on staff, especially those with extensive wine cellars. The sommelier does the preparation of the wine list and rotates the wines in the wine cellar. Although this does not sound too hard it takes a lot of skill and knowledge to pair food and wine. The sommelier also makes suggestions regarding wine choices that will complement the food.
Part of the training offered by the Prue
Leith catering school includes gaining skills in wine
selection and tasting. This is an important skill when you
have to host an event for a client where the choice of wine
is left to you as caterer.
Careers reaching beyond the hotel and restaurant kitchen
Not all cooking is done in the kitchen of a five star hotel
or restaurant. Once you have completed your training at
a catering
school such as
Prue Leith, there are many options regarding careers.
This may include working at:
University cafeteria
Corporate entity
Hospital
Retirement home
Hostel
School
University
Event planning company
Airline
Wedding venue
Working at one of these employers may not offer freedom
to create such elaborate dishes as at a five star restaurant,
but you will also use all the cooking and preparation skills
you were taught at the catering school. You might well need to be very creative, especially
where budget constraints apply. The experience gained while
working in the onsite Prue
Leith restaurant, will be useful as costing, budget
control, and kitchen management also form part of the course.
Other career options
You may want to become a personal chef, with the responsibility
of cleaning, cooking, stocking the pantry, as well as preparing
and cooking the meals for a large household. The experience
gained while training in caterer and restaurant work at
Prue
Leith will be used.
Comprehensiveness of the Prue Leith training
Students train to become chefs, caterers, sommeliers, restaurant
managers, and more through one comprehensive course that
includes practical work at the Prue
Leith catering company, the Odd
Plate restaurant and top dining establishments around
the world. Every aspect of kitchen management and food preparation
is dealt with in both theory and hands-on classes. Patisserie
forms a large part of caterer
training and prepares you for a career in confectionary
and bakery. This is extremely useful if you plan to work
for a bakery or an event management company.
The
Prue Leith catering school provides students with extensive
exposure to caterer work at wedding events, birthday parties,
and corporate functions. This type of experience can also
be listed as part of your resume, making it possible to
find a top level caterer job as you already have the experience
required.
Prue
Leith graduates are sought after by top hotels and event
management companies because of the prestige associated
with the college. With so many career opportunities to choose
from, you should enroll for the next diploma course at the
Prue
Leith catering school in Centurion immediately.