The Hospitality Trainers and Associates (HTA) School of Culinary Art is one of the most popular and highly-rated culinary schools in town. 

They’re an internationally-recognised chef school that offers chef training for culinary students, school leavers, and those who love cooking. 

They’re also recognised by several organisations such as the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations, City & Guilds, the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS), and the South African Chefs Association (SAChefs).

We took a look around and were impressed by the school’s fully-equipped kitchens, furnished with state-of-the-art tools.

The HTA School of Culinary Art offers both part-time and full-time culinary courses, which offers great flexibility. 

It’s also nice that they offer an option to attend classes online or through blended learning, which is a combination of in-person and distance learning. 

The instructors are seasoned chefs with years of experience in the food and hospitality industry, which gives us confidence in the amount of expert insight students are able to glean in class.

The programmes and short courses are highly recommended by the school’s graduates for their thorough content and hands-on training. Students love that the classes are fun, allowing them to hone their cooking skills in a pressure-free environment.

Note, though, that their shortest course takes 18 months to complete, which entails a longer commitment compared with those of other culinary schools in Joburg.

If there’s anything to nitpick, it’s the availability of their student support. Apparently, there are a handful of minor grumbles about the school’s hotline always being busy.

Nonetheless, this is a minor issue that can easily be resolved. All in all, we think HTA School of Culinary Art is a great choice.

Since its establishment, JHB Culinary & Pastry School has been able to accommodate over 1859 students and conduct 15,223 classes.

One remarkable feature of JHB Culinary & Pastry School is they’re partnered with the Le Castel Hotel School in France, where students can take part in their exchange programme.

We think this is an exceptional opportunity for budding chefs to develop their skills and build a career for themselves.

JHB Culinary & Pastry School is accredited by QCTO, City & Guilds, Highfield, and the South African Chefs Association. They were also recently awarded by Education Planet Online as one of the 10 best culinary schools in South Africa.

They offer internationally-recognised full- and part-time courses in culinary arts, patisserie, and hospitality and management. 

There are also Department of Education- and QCTO-accredited courses and in-house short courses, which usually take just a few sessions to complete. 

The instructors are experienced chefs and professional entrepreneurs. We like how this marries culinary expertise with business management insight, as both are important ingredients to a culinary specialist’s success.

We also admire the school’s efforts to transition into paperless classes by going completely digital in their curricula.

Students also appreciate how the school offers flexible payment terms.

We’re just a bit disappointed that you have to have professional experience to be qualified for any of their programmes. If you happen to be a hobbyist looking to hone or professionalise your skills, you’ll have to look elsewhere to study.

We’re also told by some interested students that a lot of their enquiries have gone unattended. We think it wouldn’t hurt for them to beef up their student support and administrative services.

If you’re looking for a more creative and casual form of cooking education, The Cooking Kitchen might be the place for you. They’re a small kitchen that hosts short Master Chef-inspired classes for adults and children.

Compared to the other culinary schools in our list, The Cooking Kitchen focuses on experimentation and approaches cooking as a hobby rather than a profession. This makes them less intimidating to those who want to try it out to begin with.

They have short classes for juniors (aged 8-13), seniors (aged 14-19), and adults. The Cooking Kitchen also offers a Domestic Cooking class targeted for nannies and mothers. 

The Cooking Kitchen is run by Yolanda Duxbury, a qualified clinical nutritionist and a cooking hobbyist. 

Classes are short, fun, small and interactive, which students, especially the youngsters, really enjoy.

Although small, the kitchen is fully equipped with all the necessary tools and machinery needed. Students note, though, that it’s a small space that could get crowded during classes.

As The Cooking Kitchen offers cooking workshops instead of programmes, students don’t earn certificates or diplomas after course completion. Instead, these classes are more introductory and are taken for fun.

However, their rates are quite expensive considering that these aren’t formal classes and are only held for two hours per class, regardless of level. 

For junior and senior classes, the tuition fee is R 1000 for four classes, and R 2,200 for four adult cooking classes.

The International Hotel School – Johannesburg campus boasts prestigious culinary and hospitality education. One notable thing about this school is they’re partnered with big hotels and restaurants worldwide.

They have 25 years of experience and have garnered several awards and recognitions. In fact, they were ranked as one of the top 50 Hospitality Universities in the world.

The programmes they offer are also recognised by the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI). 

Moreover, the International Hotel School is part of Sommet Education, which focuses on hospitality management and culinary arts, along with three other prestigious educational institutions. 

We find it impressive that since its establishment, they have produced over 30,000 successfully-employed graduates.

Students can opt to enrol in the International Hotel School’s programmes full-time or part-time. They also provide an in-service traineeship, which allows students to earn while learning.

However, if you plan to enrol in any of the International Hotel School’s courses, prepare for a hefty investment. For full-time programmes, tuition fees usually range from R 59,000 to R 99,500 per year.

They ‌have a full-time Assistant Chef Programme for only R 17,500 but that’s a sizable amount too, considering it only takes two and a half months to complete.

That said, we appreciate that the International Hotel School provides flexible payment plans and student loans to ease the financial burden for students.

However, we’re told there are cases where the students’ concerns are ignored after they have paid their tuition. We wish they would improve their student support services.

In addition, the International Hotel School’s representatives are reportedly difficult to reach out to, even for minor enquiries. You may need a lot of patience and persistence to get ahold of them.

The globally-recognised Swiss Hotel School offers full-time programmes in hospitality management and culinary arts, and part-time courses in kitchen management, and pastry & bakery.

The school is known for its state-of-the-art campus facilities. Students and visitors are always impressed by its fully-furnished kitchens and modern equipment.

The chefs and instructors are world-class professionals. They’re often complimented by their students for their being hands on in class and for their expertise.

Many students choose the Swiss Hotel School for their education because there’s a demand for its graduates abroad. Many employers from Europe, UAE, U.S.A and Australia prefer hiring alumni from Swiss Hotel School for their high-quality skills.

One of our favourite features about the Swiss Hotel School is the opportunity they present to students to do their internships in different parts of the world, including Switzerland, UK, USA, Europe and Australia.

We do have an issue with the school’s frequent change of instructors. Apparently, students experience changes in instructors several times during their programme duration.

We think this might pose a risk of compromising the consistent quality of education it offers. We hope they work has hard to select new instructors who are just as aligned with the values of the institution.

We’re also told that the release and distribution of certificates is often delayed, which is a hassle for the graduates who need to present them for work.

On top of that, we’re disappointed to find that there are also grievances about the Swiss Hotel School’s slow processing and issuance of refunds.