CHEFS WAREHOUSE INTERNS ARE FLYING

Did you know that for the past three years, Chefs Warehouse has been running and self-funding a full-time work/study chef internship programme for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds? These six young chefs in training have gone from their first days of washing pots in the scullery to expertly running sections in a rotation of all the Chefs Warehouse restaurant kitchens…. and watch out world, they’ve just graduated.

“The interns are absolute superstars,” says Liam, who is beyond proud of their growth and tenacity and impressed with their ability and skill set. “They’ll be able to confidently stand side-by-side with any culinary school graduate, and have a huge leg-up with the range of experiences they’ve had in our restaurants and contacts they’ve made.”

Gopolang Modika - worked at MAISON, Beau, Thali and The Red Room

From Pretoria, Gopolang was previously helping out at a catering business. “I found that there was so much more to this than coming in and cooking: there’s management, being presentable and knowing how to work in a team. I enjoyed understanding why we do things…like why we brine, for instance. I also learnt a lot about myself…if you really love something you’ll eventually get there in time”.

The Mark Mbotya Internship Programme was established in 2021 in memory of a talented young Beau chef who lost his life in an accident. With cooking school beyond the financial reach of most youth, the aim was to take highly motivated students between the ages of 18 – 26 who were unable to afford professional training into an old-school apprenticeship learning program that offers practical cheffing skills along with theoretical culinary background.

The students found the theory challenging, but ultimately very beneficial. They now understand how and why things work in the kitchen: why rendering fat is important, or how you might correct a sauce gone wrong.

Nasteho Sharin, worked at MAISON, Tintswalo, Beau, Thali, The Bailey and The Red Room

“It was a great opportunity…the connections will help me be a better person in the future. At the restaurants, we were not treated as strangers. I was determined to succeed. Theory was so important…without it you’d be more confused in the kitchen.

With theory, you gain knowledge, so it makes it easier to understand, and ask more educated questions to the chef in the kitchen.”

Chefs teaching chefs to be chefs

To create the internship programme, Ivor and Liam teamed up with Lee-Ann Stocks, a respected and experienced chef and culinary educator. Lee-Ann drew up a full curriculum for The Mark Mbotya Internship Programme. The call for applicants was put out on media, platforms and via word of mouth. From the huge response, some 400 candidates were shortlisted and interviewed telephonically. From Cape Town to Johannesburg, all were young, underprivileged and looking to do something with their lives.

One hundred and fifty candidates made the first cut and went through to a round of interviews. This, in turn, was whittled down to the top thirteen: the ones identified as most likely to succeed. Six have made it to the end: those who dropped out found it to be too challenging.

Sharief ‘JP’ Jacobs, worked at MAISON, Tintswalo, Beau, Thali and The Red Room

Prior to the internship, Sharief worked in gardening and non-profits in the Cape Flats, in an effort to stay off the street. “It was very tough in the beginning. I thought it was just about fancy plating, but the theory covered so much more: hygiene, safety, and techniques. I truly see and do things so differently now.”

Private dining rooms at the various Chefs Warehouse restaurants are the setting for the theory blocks of the course, which run five full days a week for one month each. Theory was not popular with some of the interns at first. It’s technical and demanding, covering subjects from the structure of the kitchen brigade, kitchen safety and food storage to cooking methods, seasonality, fruits and vegetables, butchery and beyond. This is a whole new world and vocabulary for kids who have never eaten anywhere better than a fast food takeaway. It requires memorisation and study. There is no dumbing down of terminology – when they complete their education, they must be as good as anyone else out there. After each block of theory, the students did a working internship in one of Liam’s restaurants.

At the end of the programme, they are guaranteed a full-time position within the group or they will be placed in another restaurant, hotel or commensurate field they decide they want to go in. So really, the world is their oyster.

Congratulations to all our Chefs Warehouse Interns on their fantastic achievements:

Sharief ‘JP’ Jacobs, Gopolang Moses jnr Modika, Nasteho Ahmed Sharif, Takudzwa ‘TK’ Emmanuel Aruvera, Thando Nkala and Timothy Clinton May