Culinary learning continues
For the past few days, all ICA staff and lecturers have been dynamically working towards setting systems in place in order to continue its academic tuition throughout the imminent lockdown period in SA as announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday 23 March.
As the world continues to navigate its way through the COVID-19 pandemic, the ICA will utilize existing digital and online platforms to proceed with classes remotely so that all currently enrolled students continue their academic learning with as little disruption as possible.
We have our students’ best interests at heart and will do our utmost to ensure that the standard and quality of training at the ICA will remain intact during this time of uncertainty.
Amidst the pandemonium, it is letters like these – received from ICA alumni – that provides consistent encouragement to keep going.
ICA is ready. Let the learning continue!
A letter to the ICA from ICA alumni, Mark Colebank
Good Day Mr and Mrs Prinsloo
I hope you are well?
The World seems a bit chaotic at the moment and my mind always goes back to think of what I have experienced and what life taught me. ICA still remains some of my fondest memories…with days of learning, friendship, anger, doubt and fear for silly things which moulded me. I still think of the lecturers and the premises where everyone loathed the day of learning ahead but smiled at the end of each day!
My time of work at ICA was, for me, even better and I must thank you and Mr Prinsloo! Mr Prinsloo has always been my hero and I aspire to be as great a person as he is. I miss ICA and thank all and everyone for what they taught me.
I still work in the Belgian Dredging industry which is hard work but with big rewards. I have moved all around the world – working in the Arctic Circle, Russia, Spain, Belgium, Morocco, Algeria, Nigeria, Mauritania, Safi, Ghana, Indonesia, Netherlands and now in Ghana again and I have plans to go to Portugal. I have been fortunate to have worked on the biggest Jack Up ships in the world with a crew of 180 people and then down to a small 18-man little boat bouncing around the ocean. There were some countries offering us little to nothing to cook with and some offering us the most exquisite ingredients and I have the beauty of cooking whatever I want! My menu is not sold or bought. It is “loved” and this has become my true love for this career.
Traveling has had its issues and my knives where damaged and lost in transit…and found again! I have a large collection but still have my four knives from the ICA. It has been 17 years and they still work on a daily basis (see photo)!
Life has been good to me and I work to love everyday.
Tell those young ICA students that they have good knives…now they just need to use them properly!
My kindest regards to two of the people who changed and made my life great.
Thank you.
Mark Colebank
ICA Graduate 2005
