Thirty Years of Excellence
- Awards
- Blog
Administrative formalities are completed and our new students are stepping fully into the academic year. The Institute of Culinary Arts campus enters a familiar and meaningful rhythm. Equipment has been issued, registrations finalised and kitchens prepared. Now, the real work begins.
30 Years ago, the ICA was brought into being by a vision that extended far beyond classrooms and recipes. Founder Letitia Prinsloo set out to create a chef school rooted in place — a location where students could access seasonal ingredients of exceptional quality while remaining deeply connected to the natural environment that produces them. The result is a campus surrounded by mountain air, breathtaking views, open space, orchards and gardens, where learning happens not only at stainless-steel worktops, but also outdoors, among herbs, vegetables and fruit grown with care.
Our culinary gardens are not merely ornamental. They are active classrooms. Students see what grows, what thrives, what struggles and what requires patience. They understand seasonality and learn firsthand that ingredients carry value long before they reach a plate. Even the compost heap — with its sweeping view of the Banhoek Valley — serves as a reminder that responsibility and renewal are inseparable from good cooking.
Thirty years on, Letitia often reflects on the question: What truly makes ICA different from other culinary schools? Is it the curriculum, our scientific approach to cooking and pâtisserie or the technical rigour? Is it the way students are taught to think about food, guests and hospitality? Or is it the setting itself — the proximity to nature and the deliberate way respect for the earth is woven into daily practice?
The answer, perhaps, lies in the combination of all these elements. At ICA, excellence is never isolated from responsibility. Students are trained to understand where food comes from, how it is produced and why mindful sourcing matters. All ingredients are included in course fees, removing barriers to learning and eliminating hidden costs. Students never have to ration practice or compromise technique because of expense. Lecturers source ingredients with intention — either from trusted producers or directly from the school’s own organic orchard and herb gardens.
This approach shapes chefs who cook with awareness. It produces culinary artists that leave an impression wherever they go.
When the school opened its doors for the new academic year, an ICA alumnus gifted Mr & Mrs Prinsloo with his newly published book, simply titled HEMELHUIJS.
From cover to cover, this book is an exquisite meeting of culinary craft and artistic expression. It pays homage to a journey that began in exactly the same place where our current first-year students now stand, and grew, over time, into something truly extraordinary.
While Jacques Erasmus’s career spans more than two decades, this book represents a vision that was first imagined fifteen years ago and carefully brought to life over time. Through personal memories, photographs, recipes and thoughts, it offers an intimate reflection of his path as a chef and his distinctly sensitive ability to express art through food.
It is a body of work shaped by discipline, curiosity and respect for the craft — qualities that have defined his journey from student to celebrated culinary artist.
In true Jacques Erasmus style, a handwritten note in the front of the book captures this journey with quiet humility:
“Although artists are born, there are mentors and teachers who shape a natural gift into a refined art. Thank you for equipping me with what I needed for this journey.”
— Jacques Erasmus (ICA Graduate 2001)
Over the years, ICA alumni have carried these values into kitchens across South Africa and beyond. Graduates such as Peter Tempelhoff, Callan Austin, Kobus van der Merwe, Hylton Espey and Jacques Erasmus, to name but a few, have been widely recognised for their leadership in sustainability, social responsibility and forward-thinking cuisine. Their world-renowned awards and accolades – the highest attained by South African chefs – reflect not only technical excellence, but a deep respect for the future of the planet and the communities they serve.
At ICA, students are encouraged to think beyond trends and accolades. They are taught to consider the legacy they leave behind as professionals, as leaders and as custodians of a craft that depends entirely on the health of its environment.
Respect for ingredients becomes respect for people, for place and for purpose.
As the new academic year officially begins, the campus once again fills with energy, curiosity and commitment. The foundations have been laid. The gardens are growing. The kitchens are ready. And a new generation of chefs is about to begin their journey defined not only by skill, but by integrity, responsibility and a profound connection to the world that feeds us.
