GEORGE NEWS - The saying "mighty oaks from little acorns grow" comes to mind when looking at the journey of the François Ferreira Academy.
As an acorn, it started in 2004 in the back of a restaurant in George, with 4 students.
In 2007 it moved to the old laundry building at PW Botha College, where it grew up over 10 years, making do with the limited space. In July this year the school moved to purpose-built, state-of-the-art premises at Mount View Resort in George.
The new practical kitchen has 20 individual and fully equipped cooking stations, and an amazing demonstration counter for Chef François to strut his stuff.
The counter was donated by George-based company Conti Kitchens and Caesarstone, and all the equipment was sponsored by Siemens and Bosch. The new premises are perfect for holding private functions and public cooking classes.
For a number of years, the FFA has received funding from the National Department of Tourism to run the National Youth Chefs Training Programme, which is administered by the South African Chefs Association. At the graduation ceremony held on 19 October all the graduates received either a distinction or a merit. The cherry on top was that a manager at The Fat Fish Restaurant in George, Deborah Kemp, was awarded the National Certificate Top Achiever Award.
The graduation ceremony was held at the Carpe Diem School.
The graduation ceremony was held at the Carpe Diem School and was attended by councillor Iona Kritzinger of George Municipality, Deputy Minister of Tourism Elizabeth Thabethe, and Thomas Overbeck, general manager of the South African Chefs Association, amongst others.
In her speech, Kemp thanked the François Ferreira Academy for guiding the students through the ups and downs of becoming young chefs.
She ended to a standing ovation with these words: "I believe a chef must think like a scientist, organise like an accountant, plate like an artist and cook like a grandma. Chefs can do that, who else can?"
The oak tree has reached maturity and its small acorns are growing their own oak trees in the industry.
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