April’s new moon saw the opening of Jackie Cameron School of Food & Wine in Hilton KwaZulu-Natal – and the realisation of Jackie’s dream.
For the past 15 years Jackie Cameron has been working towards opening a school for aspiring chefs. After exposing herself to innumerable valuable experiences and countless worthwhile challenges she resigned from her position as head chef at a five-star boutique hotel in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands in July last year, and set about making that dream a reality. The school was to open with the new year but Jackie’s insistence on quality, professionalism and excellence led to the delayed intake of the school’s first students.
Jackie has received more awards and accolades than her 30-something years. She acknowledges that it’s “always fabulous receiving awards”, however, her focus is now on seeing the development and growth in others. “I look forward to sending out chefs who have confidence in knowing that they have undergone correct training and have a holistic understanding of this tough but extremely rewarding industry,” she says.
A hard-but-fair task master, Jackie accepted only five students this year. “Of all the applications received they were the ones that I believed would meet the challenges this industry presents,” she explains.
Graduates from Jackie Cameron School of Food & Wine will be internationally accredited – and “sought after” is what the industry anticipates. The school can accommodate a maximum of 15 students and the duration of the course is 18 months.