Sunday Times Junior Chefs Competition 2011

Silwood graduates take 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in Sunday Times Junior Chefs Competition. Well done to winner Ash Heeger (graduate 2010) now working at The Test Kitchen. 2nd place Hloni Tlhapuletsa (graduate 2009) now working at The Cellars Hohenort. Third place Nik Tonglet currently completing the Diploma course.

National Skills Challenge 2011

Silwood diploma students Marikje Duminy and Nik Tonglet won the national City and Guilds, inter cookery schools skills Challenge at Hostex.

Sunday Times Chef Challenge

Silwood certificate students Sara Lohmaier & Lauren Bolton won the national Sunday Times Chef Challenge.  Silwood has won all the Sunday Times Student challenges to date. Read More

Show Cook’s Inter-Cookery School Competition

Silwood diploma students James Gaag and Belinda Wichmann won the Show Cook competition organized by Annette Kesler. The 3 competing schools were Silwood, SA Chefs Academy and ICA. Read More

International Chaine des Rotissuers

Silwood graduate of 2006 Stacey-Lee Chan won the international Chaine des Rotissuers young chefs competition in Finland, proving herself “best young chef in the world”!Stacey was one of only 3 girls against 21 boys in this prestigious international competition. Germany came 2nd and Canada 3rd. Read More

Sunday Times Senior Chefs Competition

Silwood graduate of 2005, Jodi-Ann Pearton, won the Sunday Times Senior Chefs Competition. Read More about Jodi and www.fooddesign.co.za

The World Chocolate Masters in London

Ruth Hinks- graduate of 1993 and owner of Cocoa Black Chocolate and Patisserie School in Scotland, won 1st place for moulded chocolates, dipped chocolates, best desserts and best gateaux at the World Chocolate Masters in the London.

The SA Olive Oil Awards

Certificate student, Marijke Duminy, won a gold medal for her olive oil, Andante, at the SA Olive Oil Award

• Thou Shalt Keep Your Knives Sharp
  Your most basic tool is your knife it’s like an extension of your hand.
  To cut well all your knives must be sharp.
  Make sharpening a daily routine at the very least and remember, it is never the knife’s fault.
• Thou Shalt Work with the Best People
  To become a great chef you do not need to work with twenty top chefs.
  You need to experience three or four very good chefs.
  The best is not always the most popular or most famous, it can just as easily be a chef in a small   place who is simply very organised and very good.
• Keep Thee Station Orderly
  Form the storage of vegetables to the finishing of mise-en-place, everything needs to be marked, date labelled, and in proper containers, taking up minimum room.
  A well organised station also gets respect from the rest of the kitchen.
• Thou Shall Purchase Wisely 
  A profitable restaurant runs on the same principle as a housewife’s kitchen: Use everything. 
  Pay attention to the price of ingredients and keep them in line with what a customer will pay. 
  The more you utilise everything, the more you will be able to afford the best ingredients. 
  A great chef respects the culinary value of every ingredient - from a tomato to a truffle.
• Thou Shall Season with Precision 
  Proper seasoning enhances the taste of every ingredient. 
  There is an exact point at which ingredients are seasoned correctly. More is not always better. 
  Learning how to season correctly requires endless practice.
• Thou Shall Master the Heat 
  From 50C to 500C ,there is an enormous range for heat to affect ingredients.  A truly great cook has such an intimate knowledge of heat that he or she develops a sixth sense of timing for the moment of doneness.
• Thou Shall Learn the World of Food 
  Experience different cuisines whenever you can. 
  Do it when you are young, as you are building your career. 
  Learning other cuisines will broaden your foundation as a chef. 
  Even when you have begun to progress through the ranks of the kitchen, use your time off to go 
  places, try new restaurants, buy books. 
  In other words, immerse yourself in the world of food
• Thou Shalt know the Classics 
  No matter what cuisine you concentrate on, the classic dishes will cover the spectrum of techniques and ingredients needed to master a cuisine. The fundamentals of stocks, sauces and seasoning are all there in the classics.
• Thou Shall Accept Criticism
  As a young chef, you spend your days and nights being criticized and analysed by the chefs you work  
  for. 
  It is important to ACCEPT criticism. 
  It is equally important to learn how to criticize when you become a full-fledged chef. 
  And finally, you must learn from the criticism. 
  Criticism is the people’s way of telling you how to improve on your results.
• Thou Shall Keep a Journal of Thee Recipes
  You cannot remember everything you see, or have cooked, but with a journal, a computer and a digital camera. You can bring those taste memories back to life and they will act as your guidance and support throughout your Professional Career.