A Lotus Gardens resident recently won an international bursary which will partly pay for her studies at the Culinary Arts Academy at Le Bouveret, Switzerland.
The 22-year-old pastry chef, Keletso Phala graduated from Capsicum Culinary Studio, Pretoria Campus, last year with an Advanced Professional Chef Diploma.
She was also named the school’s Student of the Year and immediately started working as a brand ambassador for her alma mater.
Phala says that her love for food grew during her primary school days watching cooking shows on TV.
A career day expo during her school years was when she decided to forge a career in the culinary industry.
“I was an ‘indoor’ child who was mesmerised by shows such as Cake Boss, Chopped, MasterChef and Siba’s Table. I was inspired by the celebrity chefs and a career day at my school solidified my career choice. I used to try out recipes from Cremora and biscuit boxes and took consumer studies as a subject at school. I collected recipes and cooking and baking turned into a type of therapy for me,” Phala says.
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Her favourite celebrity chefs are Siba Mtongana and Buddy Valastro from Cake Boss.
Though her family was shocked by her decision to become a chef, her years spent at Capsicum sparked a fire that would be impossible not to notice, even for her former educators.
“Initially, my family was shocked when I announced my intention of becoming a chef – they didn’t see that one could make a career out of cooking! I went to a number of matric career days, including one at my old school where the teachers couldn’t believe how much I had grown in confidence and ability during my three years at Capsicum,” she says.
Phala currently works at Arcadia’s Preview restaurant as a pastry chef though also says that she enjoyed being a Capsicum brand ambassador.
“I work as a pastry chef and also assist in the hot kitchen. A lecturer at Capsicum always said that I was an all-rounder in the kitchen. However, my heart belongs on the pastry side as I love working with small details and decorations and using my visual arts knowledge. I would like to advance my knowledge and studies of chocolate with the dream of becoming a chocolatier and perhaps one day opening my own bakery,” she concludes.
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