Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been around for a while now, but this year we’ve all been bombarded with ChatGPT, open-source platforms and news of the latest developments in this field. We are forced to think about the impact it could have on our lives, especially our working lives.
The culinary working world is no exception as AI continues to advance. Robot chefs can generate innovative recipes and streamline the cooking process. It can also personalize nutrition and change culinary education with virtual reality lessons and demonstrations. The arrival of robot chefs can help with understaffing, reduction of waste, smart kitchen collaboration and contamination reduction. However, there is one, very important aspect of a chef that could never be replaced by even the most advanced robot chef: the heart of a chef.
At the François Ferreira Academy in George on the scenic Garden Route, every member of our team, from our late founder and director, Chef François Ferreira to our seasoned facilitators have all worked in kitchens where they were challenged beyond what they thought they could handle. They’ve spent years in the industry where you take a risk with every plate going out, being at your most vulnerable with every service.
Our chef hearts know the heartbreak of a team member buckling under the pressure but also the pure joy of testing a new idea that works out amazingly, all the highs and all the lows. The reality is that this industry is tough, the hours long and the pressure relentless. Being a chef indeed demands you to have the heart of a chef.
At the François Ferreira Academy we make it our mission to equip every learner with the skills, knowledge, and experience with our work integrated learning to help you become a successful chef. In addition, we also know that we need to equip you with the heart of a chef. These are the aspects we teach you over and above what the learning material require:
Commitment to quality by using only the freshest and best quality ingredients and the best techniques to produce tasty food of the highest grade.
Multitasking is a non-negotiable trait of a chef. It comes in very handy in the life of a chef who is overall in charge, from planning and designing menus to raw material procurement, and inventory management.
To run a profitable enterprise a chef has a keen sense of business to not only produce tasty food but remain cost-effective with minimal wastage. We will give you practical applications to develop your sense of business.
Commercial kitchens are tough terrain, claiming odd long hours of exposure to heat, eccentric colleagues, high pressure, and grease. A chef must have a lot of stamina to remain focused on consistently preparing tasty, top-quality dishes.
You will develop strong leadership qualities to help you give direction to your team while maintaining an amicable working atmosphere. This is essential through smooth guidance, coaching and monitoring of juniors.
A chef must remain creative with a capital ‘C’, since this is what brings in the customers. Part of creativity includes being creative on the plate, with ingredients, but above all, also when you manage the brigade in the kitchen.
Are you flexible? No job in the kitchen should be beneath a chef. Only flexible chefs can ensure that the kitchen is running smoothly by pitching in wherever necessary.
We teach strong organizational skills to plan out proper staff utilization, the traffic flow in a rush-hour kitchen, the kitchen layout, dish preparation and plating.
Chefs must be able to handle criticism: It is never guaranteed that everybody will always love what you create, and you will be faced with criticism.
Is there place for a robot chef in our kitchens? Perhaps there could be for additional training purposes, but this profession is one of personal input and leaving your signature from the menu to the plate, to the team. So, we will always need a human chef in our kitchens with the heart of a chef.
Through hours of dedicated teaching, practical coaching, and mentoring, our team at the François Ferreira Academy will also teach you to remember who you are, what you are capable of and why you wanted to become a chef in the first place.
Ready to change yourself into the best you, you could be by obtaining the best possible chef knowledge, skills, and mentorship from the training team with the heart of internationally renowned Chef François Ferreira?
You are welcome to contact or even better, visit us on campus at the François Ferreira Academy, driven by UXi Artisan Development.
Get in touch with us on:
044 884 0765 or
e-mail info@francoisferreira.co.za