Head Office: 011 705-2616 - e-mail: , www.wickedfood.co.za

Introduction
Wickedfood® Cooking School is an educational facility, offering tuition in a wide range of culinary skills to the hobby cook and corporate world in a fun, safe environment.

Wickedfood® Cooking School in conjunction with HTA, School of Culinary Art is offering a training programme for people with a passion for food who:

• Are looking for a formal in-depth training in how to operate a cooking school;
• Want a career in the culinary industry, but do not necessarily want to running a commercial kitchen;
• Love working with people and imparting their knowledge.

Background

1. Wickedfood® Cooking School ran its first class from restaurant premises in Illovo in October 2001.

2. In May 2002, the school moved to a purpose-built kitchen in Sunninghill, accommodating up to 16 students per class. Over the next 2 years the school developed a highly successful formula that is in great demand to both individual clients and the corporate environment.

3. Our flagship franchise school opened in Sunninghill, in early 2004. This school can accommodate up to 36 students in hands-on classes in a state of the art, purpose built teaching kitchen.

4. A second franchise school opened in Boksburg in mid 2006, and can accommodate 24 students, in the hands on environment.

5. A wide variety of classes and courses are on offer, from basic and advanced kitchen skills, to pasta making, easy entertaining and ethnic cooking from around the world.

6. Wickedfood® Cooking School is one of the few cooking schools in the country aimed at the general public, dedicated to once-off classes and short courses, that is run on a professional basis. The schools are run on a full time basis, with a dedicated fulltime staff complement, as opposed to running the school as a part time venture on the side.

Wickedfood® Cooking Schools are unique

1. The kitchens are purpose-built for teaching - offering a practical work environment that is versatile, flexible and safe, as well as mimicking the domestic environment. All equipment used is hard-wearing and functional, yet at the same time is of a domestic nature, found in home kitchens.

2. Classes are run by professionals – They run the school as a full time business. Our instructors all have a passion for food, are out-going, good communicators and are skilled at educating.

3. Active participation in hands-on classes - Students learn specialist cooking techniques, dish preparation and presentation, in an interactive hands-on environment. They not only gain new skills, but also have a fun outing, meeting new people and discussing solutions to common cooking problems.

4. Extensive easy-to-follow lecture notes – These include an in-depth overview and background to the cuisine, easy to follow step-by-step recipes and shopping lists.

At present Wickedfood® Cooking School offers around 200 different classes and courses, and has developed a library of over 1 200 recipes.

How classes are run
Each class at Wickedfood® Cooking School is run by a professional team consisting of:

• an instructor,
• a cleaner, and
• between 1 and 3 counter assistants, dependant on the size of the class (± 1 counter assistant per 12 students).

To run classes effectively, that are fun while at the same time well structured for the students, an organized team needs to co-ordinate each class.

• The school has been designed in such a way that it will be able to handle up to 36 students in 3 teams.
• Each team will get to prepare the same ±6 dishes on an individual fully self-contained preparation and cooking unit.
• Each unit, accommodating up to 12 students, will have a counter assistant, with the entire class of up to 36 students, being run by an instructor.

Training
Wickedfood® Cooking School in conjunction with HTA, School of Culinary Art is offering a fulltime training apprenticeship programme to students with passion for food and wish to be involved in the culinary industry, but not necessarily running a commercial kitchen.

A cooking school environment is an ideal alternative job opportunity. Wickedfood® runs a formal in-depth 3 year apprenticeship programme, structured as follows:

1. Trainees will enter into a formal 3 year apprenticeship contract with Wickedfood®. Under this contract they will receive practical training at one of the Wickedfood® Cooking School outlets.

2. They will also receive theoretical in-depth training during an annual 6 weeks block release at HTA, School of Culinary Art.

3. In addition the trainees will attend one to two week hands practical training at various institutions within the culinary industry, including retail, restaurants, baking etc., at least twice a year. This will give them an in depth understanding of how the entire food industry is structured, and thus be able to answer questions from their students with confidence and authority.

4. At the Wickedfood® Cooking School outlets they will receive in-depth training with regards to running a cooking school, which will include:
   
   1. Class co-ordination – stock control, purchasing, class setup.
   2. Teaching – theory of teaching, student management, counter-assisting and instructor.
   3. Management procedures – operating procedures, marketing strategies, booking management, accounting procedures; general management
   4. Menu and class notes development

5. During the apprenticeship, trainees will be paid a basic salary, as well as receive additional income through teaching fees, once they have received the appropriate training, and passed the relevant exams.

6. Should trainees showed sufficient aptitude, initiative and work ethic, within their training period, they will be given the opportunity of becoming a class coordinator, school manager, and eventually a Wickedfood® Cooking School franchisee

Appointment process
All trainees will need to go through a training programme. This will entail:

• Attending an interview and completing an application form
• Participating in at least 1 class as a student so that we can assess your general kitchen skills;
• Attend at least 3 classes as a trainee counter assistant;
• Submit to an in-depth screening procedure, determined from time to time by Wickedfood® and/or HTA;
• Should we at this stage feel that you are a suitable candidate you will be required to complete an apprentice contract, which will include a restraint of trade clause and confidentiality agreement;
• Wickedfood® Cooking School will then train you as outlined above. (Should you for any reason be unable to fulfil this contractual obligation, you will be liable for the training costs on a pro-rata basis, as outlined in the contract);

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