Ikusasa School of Cooking

06 Jun 13

As part of Pick n Pay’s ongoing commitment to skills development, the Ackerman Pick n Pay Foundation has partnered with the Ikusasa School of Cooking to empower disadvantaged youths with culinary skills.

Established in 2009 in Durban, the Ikusasa School of Cooking aims to give disadvantaged school leavers access to an otherwise cost-prohibitive industry by giving them practical training.

After completing a one-year, skills-based introductory course, the students receive internationally recognised City & Guilds certificates in Food Preparation, enabling them to enter the culinary workforce with practical skills.

Funded by the Chaine Foundation Trust, which was established by international gastronomic society Chaine des Rotisseur, and run under the auspices of The International Hotel School, a registered higher education institution, the school has seen 32 students graduating. The students have consequently been absorbed into South Africa’s culinary industry via experiential learnerships at Durban’s leading hotels and restaurants.

Following the success of Ikusasa Durban, the burgeoning culinary institute recently opened another school in the Western Cape’s Riebeek Valley. The area, with its wealth of restaurants, wine estates and farms, proved to be an ideal location for a school that could potentially help grow the local hospitality industry.

The Riebeek Valley Special School donated a kitchen on their schoolgrounds to Ikusasa. However, the building had been neglected and fallen into disrepair, so some work was needed. The Ackerman Pick n Pay Foundation came on board as a sponsor, funding the kitchen’s refurbishment and equipment – a project that included the implementation of workstations, demo areas and appliances. Pick n Pay has also joined a handful of local businesses in offering experiential learnerships to the Ikusasa School of Cooking graduates.

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