Excellent question and one that doesn't come with a clearly defined answer! However, in our opinion, a great chef has the following characteristics:

• Passion for cooking / catering
• Enjoys working under pressure
• Passion for food
• Unwavering dedication to the job
• Creativity and an eye for detail
• Self-disciplined
• Self-motivated
• Hard working, willing to make personal sacrifices
• Flexible
• Sense of urgency, efficient
• Strength of character, not easily offended
• Sense of humour
• Able to take advice and constructive criticism
• Sense of responsibility
• Able to push self to personal limits, stamina
• A positive ‘can do’ attitude
• Work as a team player
• Ability to work to deadlines
• Good time management skills
• Good organisational skills
• Good memory and concentration skills
• Confidence in own judgement
• Flexible working hours
• Ability to use your five senses
• Eager to learn
• Respect for authority

Many of our graduates have successfully found employment in countries across the world including England, Australia and Ireland. The City & Guilds accreditation is internationally recognised and respected, making it easier for you to apply your training anywhere in the world!

Capsicum Culinary Studio students have been placed at many establishments. To name a few, they are:  The Saxon, Sandton Hilton Hotel, Monte Casino, Ritrovo Ristorante, Bakubang Game Lodge, Imbali Game Lodge, Singita Lebombo, Steenberg Hotel, Mount Nelson, Radisson Hotel, Grande Roche, Vineyard Hotel and Constantia Uitsig. Students have also secured full-time placement in the Cellars Hohenhort, Five Flies Restaurant, and Constantia Uitsig.

Yes! Capsicum offers the City & Guilds curriculum, a UK international course which is recognized in over 100 countries across the world. City & Guilds is the leading provider of vocational qualifications in the United Kingdom. Its qualifications assess skills that are of practical value in the work place. They are recognised for their quality and are valued by employers in every sector of business. Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay amongst numerous others, began their careers with a City & Guilds qualification.

Yes! Capsicum affords you the opportunity to pay the fee off over the period of the course. This involves paying a deposit and subsequently making monthly payments which varies based on the chosen course fee. Alternatively you could apply for a student bank loan.

Capsicum offers 4 different Professional Chef training courses: International Professional Chef Management Diploma, Professional Chef Diploma, Patisserie Diploma and a Professional Chef Certificate. For a school leaver or someone with no experience at all who wants to give themselves the best start at the beginning of their chef career, we recommend the International Professional Chef Management Diploma (26 months) or the Professional Chef Diploma (15 months). For someone with some previous work experience in the kitchen, we recommend applying for RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) and entering into the training at a more advanced stage. For someone passionate about baking, pastries and desserts we recommend the Patisserie Diploma course.

We have also just launched our Hospitality Diploma over three years !!!

Capsicum Culinary Studio has two class intakes each year: the first is at the end of January and the second in July.

If you have completed Grade 10, you need to be at least 18 years of age. If you have not completed Grade 10, you need to be at least 23 years of age. There is no age limit to enrol on our courses!

Although you may already have industry experience, an accredited education and certification from Capsicum Culinary Studio can help you move to a more senior and lucrative position in the hospitality industry. Capsicum’s accreditation with City & Guilds, an internationally recognized qualification can you help you even find employment overseas.

You can still maintain your career while enrolling in one of Capsicum’s cooking courses as we offer a part-time option that is held on two evenings per week between 6 and 10pm. This will allow you to work and study simultaneously.

Not only can you continue your studies in Switzerland, we have an association with one of Switzerland’s top Hotel & Business Management School, DCT, based in Vitnau near Lucerne. DCT has a Culinary Arts Centre and provides you with a quality education based on European standards, as set by star rating agencies like Michelin and Gault-Millau.

We're incredibly proud of our pass rate. Since we opened our doors seven years ago, 98.9% of all learners that wrote examinations, passed. This is an extremely high average pass rate.

Our on site Student Advisors will assess and discuss with you, which cooking course will help you realise your goals. As a rule of thumb, should you be wanting to make this your career and currently you have no formal training or experience, then we would highly recommend either the 2 year International Professional Chef Management Diploma or the 1 year Professional Chef Diploma. These are preferred by the industry and give you the best head start. In addition, enrolling on one of these courses is more cost effective than doing the qualifications separately.

Yes. We have a range of courses suitable for various levels of school leavers. A simple answer here would not suffice, so we'd highly recommend that you call one of our Student Advisors, who will assess your current situation and advise you accordingly. Our telephone number is 086 111 CHEF (2433).