The KZN Chaine Des Rotisseurs Foundation, in association with The International Hotel School (IHS) and other leading suppliers are set to launch the Ikusasa School of Cooking at St Martin's Children's Home in Clark Road, Durban.
The school is located within the St Martin's Children's Home, where a new kitchen has been designed and created with the best culinary facilities for the Ikusasa School. The school will give 10 young school leavers from children's homes in and around Durban, the opportunity to acquire skills in culinary arts during their one-year programme. The students will follow a City and Guilds-based qualification, fully administered by IHS, a pristine qualification for anyone to gain. In-service training over three months is provided by Southern Sun's Elangeni and Beverley Hills hotels.
During the year-long course, three days a week will have the students attending various five-star hotels in the area to gain valuable on-the-job training with Durban's top chefs. The remainder of the week will have students attending culinary and practical lectures at the school, under the direction of HIS staff. The overall aim of the school is to ensure that students are fully equipped with the skills needed to pursue a prosperous career path in the hospitality industry, ensuring placement on completion of the course. All tuition, ingredients for daily cooking, running of the kitchen on a daily basis, as well as transport to and from the school will be provided by the school through fundraising and sponsors, allowing for a year of free tertiary education for the 10 selected students.
When Sundru Pillay, former chairman of the Chaine Des Rotisseurs and a founder of the Ikusasa School of Cooking was asked why they decided to open the school he said: "These children have overcome such adversity, and the Ikusasa School of Cooking has offered divine intervention in these young adults lives, which is a blessing in itself and this needs to be acknowledged."
Commencement of the project was launched at a cocktail party at the Ikusasa School of Cooking at St Martin's Children Home in Clark Road, Glenwood. The 10 students, who come from disadvantaged backgrounds and children's homes within the Durban area, have come a long way since the rigorous selection process.
