CULINARY INNOVATION IN PRACTICE
The Chefs Training & Innovation Academy provides students with solid foundations and assists in fostering the confidence needed to innovate, create, and embrace a career path filled with diverse opportunities.
Tell us about CTIA and your Durban campus?
CTIA’s first campus, located in Centurion, South Africa, opened its doors in 2009 with the goal of providing a unique learning environment based on cutting-edge technology and a promise to look after our students every step of the way. It’s a promise we made, and one that we’ve kept. We’ve now expanded to three additional locations including the coastal city of Durban – which is known to be a laidback location, but our bustling campus in Morningside is a hive of activity where students can enjoy the best training experience of their lives in a warm and vibrant environment. This campus is located close to the city centre and is easy to access with public transport. The culinary action goes down in two fully equipped, halaal-friendly training kitchens and three theory lecture rooms. Students can choose from multiple nearby accommodation options. Staff and students at CTIA are family members as well as community members, and that will never change.
What kind of courses do you offer at CTIA?
At CTIA, we pride ourselves on providing a warm, fun, inspiring and creative environment for our students as they embark on their culinary journey. We offer a variety of national and international qualifications, which have been designed to give our students the best possible chance at success in their chosen careers.Â
Our courses provide students with a solid foundation and foster the confidence needed to innovate, create, and embrace a career path filled with diverse opportunities: working in catering companies, hotels, restaurants, or cruise liners, to food photography, to launching a business of your own. We work hard to stay on top of the latest changes in the hospitality industry so that we can share them with our students at home and abroad. Our courses are constantly updated to ensure that our students benefit from the latest developments in the landscape and to maximise their prospects of career success. We are offering a host of new national qualifications in both our culinary and hospitality programmes.
We are excited to announce that we will be expanding our online offering soon, with a range of new and exciting bite size courses, programmes and learning opportunities. Keep an eye on our website and social media channels for further updates – we can’t wait to share more information with you soon! Our Lecturers are dedicated to our students. They are invested in our student’s success and always go the extra mile. At CTIA we measure our success on the success of our students and that is why we WANT to go the extra mile. Our passion is teaching, which is why we do what we do.
Through its partnerships, with national and global bodies, CTIA ensures its qualification are recognised both locally and internationally.
We offer the following:
- A national programme, accredited by the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO).
- Several internationally recognised programmes, accredited by City & Guilds (C&G) and the Confederation of Tourism and Hospitality (CTH).
- An opportunity to enrol for a bachelor’s degree in culinary arts in partnership with the Business & Hospitality Management School (BHMS) in Lucerne, Switzerland.
- Through CTIA’s membership association with the South African Chefs Association (SACA), we are endorsed by the World Association of Chefs Societies (Worldchefs) for being a quality culinary education provider.
What do you specialise in?
We specialise in training students to be industry-ready professionals. CTIA is constantly aware of industry standards and the expectations that new employees must meet, so we know what young, aspiring chefs require to thrive in today’s ever-expanding worldwide hospitality sector.
The ‘I’ in CTIA stands for innovation. Training our students to become innovation-oriented sets them up for long-term career success. We’re particularly proud of this aspect of our offering, and continuously update our CTIA innovation modules to ensure our students gain skills and insight into the most up-to-date industry developments.
All of our students have the opportunity to tailor their curricula by selecting from our list of culinary and pastry innovation modules. These are intensive, highly practical courses – all the action happens in the kitchen.
The number of innovation modules (electives) a student can choose is determined by the core full-time programme. These are already included in our full-time programmes. Part-time students have the option to add modules to their programme at an additional cost.
‘Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower’ – Steve Jobs
Currently, we offer the following Innovation Modules:
- Molecular Gastronomy
- Charcuterie
- Dairy & Cheese Making
- Food Photography
- Modern Cake Design
- Chocolate Artwork
- Confectionery
- Sugar Work
What does it take to be a successful Chef?
At CTIA, we prepare our students for the culinary industry in every way possible. We have forged strong ties with various industry partners, with whom we place our students in functional roles. This gives CTIA chefs-in-the-making an opportunity to gain invaluable experience that leads to improved skill and confidence.
To be a great chef, attitude and values are just as important as skills and knowledge, which is why we focus on developing and evaluating all these key areas. We also emphasise important career-advancing skills, such as: CV writing, interview techniques and professional communication.
As a student entering the culinary world, always remember that your attitude will determine your altitude. Be a sponge and soak up all the information, techniques, and methods that you can. Read about food. Your development does not just stop at what was taught in the classroom and kitchen. Do more than just that. Cook at home! Cook for your friends and family, they are your biggest fans. Have a humble and positive attitude towards your studies, work placements and opportunities. Be willing to work long hours and be willing to start at the bottom to learn the ins and outs of this industry. You will learn to respect and understand every area of the kitchen before getting to the top. This will make you more successful. In our industry, we need each other to be successful. No single person can take credit alone. We are always a team and a family.
Get Connected
Get in touch with the CTIA Durban Team: Call them on 031 001 4196 or email them at