A Year Marked by Excellence
- Alumni
- Awards
A Living Project for ICA’s Final-Year Students
ICA founders, Letitia and Kobus Prinsloo, and Head of Faculty, Merizle Mitrovich, were recently honoured with a special invitation to attend an evening at Peter Tempelhoff’s latest promising venture, Arum, at Boschendal. It was a gesture that spoke not only to professional respect but also to the longstanding brotherhood and relationship between alumni and the ICA — a relationship built on shared values, creative pursuit and the enduring bond between lecturer and student.
As Peter welcomed his guests from the ICA, it was clear that this restaurant was more than a bold new undertaking; it was a meaningful return to the valley that shaped him during the earliest days of his culinary journey when he enrolled at the ICA in 1996.
In the kitchen brigade at Arum, two more ICA-trained chefs are delivering their best, with 2021 graduate Byron Gaffoor in pâtisserie and 1st-year student Ryan Liebchen placed under the intentional mentorship of his superiors for his first experiential industry placement.
Peter’s approach to Arum — its philosophy of sustainability, the conceptual design and strong culinary narrative — has also played a significant role in the academic lives of current ICA 3rd-year students. As part of their final examination and thesis work, students engaged with Arum as a real and live case study, exploring how a modern South African restaurant can interpret the environment, heritage and innovation in fresh, yet disciplined ways.
Working from real-world inspiration rather than hypothetical concepts, students were challenged to develop dishes and multi-course ideas informed by Arum’s vision. This rare opportunity allowed them to step into the mindset of a chef crafting a restaurant from the ground up, something few students ever get to experience so closely.
Site visits during construction provided a behind-the-scenes look at how intention shapes space, flow, atmosphere and menu identity. These insights became fuel for creativity, elevating the standard of their final student work to a level of professional maturity that mirrors the professional world they are about to enter.
ICA lecturers and faculty were once again astounded by the level of creativity and innovation that this year’s 3rd-year students executed. This type of accomplishment celebrates three years of intensive culinary development and training in excellence, the foundation on which the ICA stands.
We share this example, quoted from one thesis, as a demonstration of how – through deliberate curriculum progression – SCIENCE meets ART on a plate:
“A fine-dining restaurant that celebrates plants as intelligent, interactive beings, elevating them beyond simple ingredients to the central storytellers of the culinary experience. Each menu delves into the fascinating behaviours of plants – how they attract, defend, collaborate, adapt and communicate – transforming these natural strategies into thoughtfully crafted dishes.”
Menu Motivation: “Bullseye – Cured yellowtail, toasted sunflower seeds, quinine glaze, labneh, subgold tomato sauce, nectarine gel, pickled sunflower petals. Like flowers with UV patterns that guide bees and butterflies to their nectar, this dish uses bold colours, bright accents and textural cues to direct attention. The guanine glaze is inspired by floral UV patterns: under a UV or blacklight, it fluoresces bright blue, mimicking how flowers signal nectar to pollinators beyond human-visible light. This multi-sensory approach lets the diner experience how plants attract pollinators visually, texturally and conceptually.”
The Circle of Culinary Legacy
Across South Africa and beyond, ICA alumni open restaurants, lead kitchens, carve new paths, influence food culture and innovate with courage. Yet the connection to the valley, to the school and to the people who guided their early steps remains powerful.
Peter’s invitation to the ICA team was more than a courtesy; it was a heartfelt acknowledgement of the institute that first ignited his passion. It also perfectly illustrates a truth we see year after year:
Our graduates don’t just leave ICA — they carry ICA with them.
Seeing Peter’s return was a moving reminder of the life-long brotherhood that the ICA cultivates among every student who walks through our doors. A testament to what can happen when raw talent meets world-class training and a community that continues to uplift its own … long after graduation.
