ICA Alumni, Kobus van der Merwe, welcomes ICA Principal to Wolfgat
On Saturday the 23rd of February, ICA Principal, Letitia Prinsloo, had the privilege of dining at Wolfgat in Paternoster – named the World’s BEST Restaurant earlier this month in Paris, France!
The opportunity to personally congratulate Kobus van der Merwe – former ICA student, class of 1999 – on this immense achievement, as well as checking in on the 2nd year student currently placed under his mentorship by the ICA for his experiential training, enables the ICA to stay updated and informed of the very latest culinary happenings.
Letitia and husband Kobus established the ICA 23 years ago with a vision and a steadfast goal to train South African chefs to compete on a world-class stage. After establishing an award-winning restaurant and guesthouse in Pretoria, Letitia realized that most fine dining restaurants during that time employed international chefs and hence the ICA was born out of her aim to educate local culinary students to become internationally recognized chefs.
Not only have ICA-trained chefs been dominating South Africa’s highest accolades and awards lists since the ICA’s inception, but it is now certainly safe to say that Letitia has truly accomplished what she set out to do for the culinary fraternity in South Africa.
The past few years have been monumental to the ICA’s development. Over and above a host of previously attained accolades, the ICA was internationally rated as one of the three best chef schools in the world, as well as the very best on the African continent. Just shortly thereafter, ICA Head of Faculty, Merizle Mitrovich, received a Gold Medal for Excellence as Tutor of the Year and following that, Principal Letitia Prinsloo received the Eat Out Lifetime Achievement Award for her contribution to the culinary world in SA.
But the school’s success is not necessarily determined by the accolades on the wall. It remains evident in the “products” that the school delivers ultimately…the graduates.
Students come to the ICA – partially formed as first-year students all filled with potential and hope.
At the ICA we shape, chisel, mould and form.
Students receive, grow and are strengthened until they step out –
SHINING, STRONG, EQUIPPED and WHOLE.
The ICA trains world-class chefs, setting the benchmarks for others to follow…
