There has never been a better time to study for a career in the culinary and hospitality field says Michelle van Gelder-Botha from Capsicum Culinary Studio, one of the country’s leading culinary schools with a footprint throughout South Africa.
“As we come through the Covid-19 pandemic we see just how important human interaction is for all of us. We crave social interaction with others. Drive around and you will see that restaurants are finally slowly recovering and doing well with new ones opening regularly. Business is open again and it’s booming. However, people have also become more discerning when it comes to parting with their hard-earned cash.”
Van Gelder-Botha – who was appointed head of the school’s Rosebank, Johannesburg, campus at the end of last year – also believes that those who want to do well in their chosen field should study their craft.
“Graduates today have to be well-rounded to match the demands of the times they are living in. This means that not only must they excel in theory and in practicals but they should also study the business of restaurants and the food industry.”
She explains: “Not only are students taught how to work in other people’s restaurants, hotels and businesses, but they are also taught entrepreneurship. I believe one needs experience in the industry first after graduation, but we also impart skills so that they can start their own businesses when the time is right or if they need to create their own employment. We are moving away from traditional qualifications. In the old days you studied to be a doctor and that is what you did for the next 50 years. These days, people don’t work in the same jobs for their whole career.”
“Times change quickly and the future is often uncertain. The past two years have once again proven that one needs to be adaptable and often one needs to be creative when it comes to earning an income. Entrepreneurship, skills and dual qualifications are the way of the future and it is critical that future graduates are equipped with the skills to start their own businesses to enter a field where they are able to adapt and change.”
Van Gelder-Botha is an example of this, coming from a criminology background before moving into education.
“I volunteered with the police for a few months during a brief internship when I was doing my honours at the University of Pretoria. Initially I wanted to go into the police. I went on to study my postgraduate diploma in higher education and training practise thinking I could move into the training sector in the police.”
But it was not to be and instead Van Gelder-Botha worked for nearly a decade as an academic development coordinator at Varsity College as well as training lecturers and industry specialists. Thereafter, she was the Vice Principal Academics at Rosebank College Braamfontein Mega Campus, where she headed up a team of around 145 staff and lecturers and was responsible for over 7000 students.
“This is my first time at a culinary school and it’s been exciting. It's one thing to say you are internationally accredited but it’s totally different when you speak to some of our graduates and see what they have achieved here and on the world stage. There is definitely a high regard for Capsicum. Speaking to industry heavyweights, alumni and students and hearing their stories, what they experienced, what they've achieved and what they've done with their life, has been inspirational.”
Van Gelder-Botha adds: “Culinary schools, not only in this country but around the world, have spent two years adapting to a new reality and will continue to do so. The demand for restaurants and for food to be made and served well has existed for hundreds of years. Capsicum is determined to remain the industry leader in this arena.”
Her message to those entering the industry in 2022: “This is the year of possibilities. We have spent the past two years living in fear and uncertainty, isolated from the world and one another. With that we have learnt to become resilient, innovative and creative. Let’s use the lessons learnt and apply them to this year to reach beyond what we thought we were capable of achieving. Let our passion drive us to wake each morning to live each day to its fullest and have grit to overcome all obstacles faced, even when we feel we cannot any more, because we are stronger than we know. Know that we here at Capsicum Culinary Studios have each student’s best interest at heart and trust the process, even when it may not make sense, because when you walk out of these doors at the end of your qualification, you are going to shine beyond your wildest dreams.”
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