MENTORSHIP MATTERS: ANOTHER CLASSROOM
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For many aspiring chefs, the culinary world is imagined as a fast-paced restaurant kitchen filled with service, creativity and plated perfection. Yet one of the most exciting and rapidly expanding sectors of the food industry exists beyond the pass: New Product Development (shortly referred to in the industry as NPD).
At the Institute of Culinary Arts, students who choose the NPD specialisation field, in their third year of study, enter a world where culinary creativity meets innovation, strategy, science, and entrepreneurship. It is a field that opens doors far beyond traditional restaurant careers — and ICA alumni are proving just how limitless those possibilities can be.
As consumer demands evolve and the global food industry continues to expand, professionally trained chefs are increasingly sought after in development kitchens, retail innovation departments, manufacturing environments, and entrepreneurial ventures. ICA recognised this shift many years ago, becoming the only South African culinary institution to integrate specialised New Product Development training into its flagship 3-Year Specialised Diploma course.
The programme equips students with a deep understanding of food innovation, market trends, sensory analysis, product testing, commercial viability and consumer behaviour — all grounded in a world-class culinary foundation. Students learn not only how to create exciting products, but how to think critically, solve problems creatively and respond to the ever-changing demands of the food world.
Importantly, the field is not limited to multinational corporations or factory environments. Increasingly, ICA graduates are using these skills to build successful businesses of their own.
One of the most inspiring examples is Santa Anna’s, founded and run by two ICA alumni, Frik Oosthuizen and Piet Marais, with their business partner, Eduan Naude. What began as a passion for bold Mexican-inspired flavours has grown into a thriving product development business with an extensive range of products distributed widely and exported internationally.
Their success reflects a defining characteristic of ICA’s approach to culinary education: graduates are trained not merely to work within the industry, but to shape it. Frik and Piet are not only developing products — they are chefs, entrepreneurs, innovators and business owners who identified opportunities within the market and built something substantial from them.
And they are far from alone.
ICA alumni have established themselves in leading product development environments across South Africa and abroad, with graduates contributing to major companies and retailers including Woolworths, Checkers, Tacoma Foods, Amaro Foods, Rhodes Foods, In2Food, and Food Lover’s Market. Their roles range from development chefs and innovation specialists to culinary consultants and category developers — careers that combine creativity with commercial impact.
What distinguishes ICA graduates in these spaces is the depth of their culinary understanding because they were trained first and foremost as world-class chefs. Product Development at ICA is not approached purely from a scientific or technical perspective, but through the lens of chefs who understand flavour, texture, balance, presentation, nutrition and consumer experience on a practical level. ICA recognises that food innovation requires more than laboratory theory alone — it requires chefs with refined palates, technical precision and real culinary expertise.
This combination of culinary artistry and industry-focused innovation gives ICA graduates a distinct advantage. They are able to bridge the gap between creativity and practicality – between concept and consumer.
The Product Development specialisation field also appeals to a particular kind of student — one who enjoys experimentation, pays attention to detail and finds excitement in innovation. It is a field for those who are curious about how food trends emerge, how products are conceptualised and how ideas move from kitchen experimentation to supermarket shelves and international markets.
As the global conversation around food continues to evolve — from sustainability and wellness to convenience and flavour innovation — the need for highly trained culinary professionals within the development space is only growing stronger. ICA graduates are uniquely positioned to respond to these shifts because their education extends beyond recipes and restaurant service. They are taught to think broadly about the future of food itself.
At the ICA, NPD is not simply an alternative culinary path. It is a dynamic, creative and entrepreneurial field filled with opportunity. One where chefs become innovators, industry leaders and creators of the products that shape the way the world eats.
Want to find out more? Visit our COURSES page for more information on what is on offer, including the various 3rd-year specialisation courses.
