This year Nico Lombard celebrates a decade of training new South African chefs.

Lombard – who lives in Alberton – has been the principal at the Boksburg campus of Capsicum Culinary Studio for the past 10 years. He says that much has happened during this time.

“Over the last few years, one of the obvious major changes was when Capsicum joined ADvTECH, becoming more of a powerhouse in the hospitality training arena. I’ve also noticed a change in the calibre of students, as more people become aware of the opportunities in the field through social media and television. The breadth of career opportunities locally has also increased over the years, which is very exciting. With Capsicum’s international partners, students also have more opportunities to gain work experience abroad.”

Lombard, who says he has always loved food and hospitality from a young age, started working in restaurants at the age of 16. He joined the Capsicum team as principal of the Boksburg branch in 2009.

His says Capsicum’s passion and commitment to student life are what gives them an edge.

“We pride ourselves on the fact that most of our graduates find employment in the industry almost straight away.”

He adds that some of the latest food trends include affordable fine dining, local produce and South African heritage cooking.

“Craft whiskey is also showing promise as a 2019 trend, which I’m very excited about!”