Our fine dining restaurant and bistro-style café are the practical training ground for our students. Here they practise serving and preparing both food and beverages for paying guests while still enjoying the safety of a school environment. They will explore trends and focus on seasonal ingredients, with input to our menus that are revised each term. Senior students complete an Advanced Diploma with a focus on supervision and management. They put their training to the test and take it in turns to manage the café (with oversight) and review feedback on everything from profit and loss to the impact of weather on margins. Come and enjoy a bite so they can enjoy exposure to the real world of work.
Sit back and relax at The Classroom Café with a platter of assorted handcrafted meats and cheeses with artisanal bread or enjoy wood-fired pizzas with our premium craft beers. We have five different beers in five fun ranges, including The Cheerleader, The Dean, The Quarterback, The FES and The Graduate all available from our on-site microbrewery – The 1000 Hills Brewing Company. Wonderful views and great outdoor seating areas make this a popular spot for family gatherings on weekends. We are the only culinary school in South Africa that incorporates the art of brewing into our curriculum, and second-year students learn a number of artisanal production methods used in creating all the produce that is sold in our Classroom Café.
THE CLASSROOM CAFÉ MENU
Established in 2009 (as Porcupine Quill Brewing Company), the brewery forms part of 1000 Hills Chef School where Advanced Students learn the art of Craft Beer Brewing. This brings a unique approach to brewing, with flavour and food in mind. In true craft tradition, we prefer not to follow any particular style too closely but rather experiment with our own styles. Most of our beers follow a pale ale style. This particular style covers a range of flavours and appearances and suits how we brew our beers. Beers are generally rated according to colour (SRM) and a measure of alcohol (ABV). Another key factor is flavour or bitterness, but this is of course quite subjective and varies significantly by adding different hops during the brewing process. What you are tasting is the oils from the female flower of the hop vine, which provide bitterness, aroma and taste, depending on when they are put in the kettle in the brewing process.
Our Restaurant offers fine dining that showcases gourmet cuisine. This platform encourages students to prepare food to the highest possible standard. Each gourmet dinner features a bespoke menu, designed to highlight seasonal flavours and culinary creativity. Book your spot at our five-course Food and Wine dinner. We also host select functions for schools, when hospitality and consumer studies classes visit us to learn more about fine dining, etiquette and the world of a chef. Gourmet menu available upon request.