Star restaurateur and cooking show judge Kayla Ann Osborn has decided to train chefs in her first love, cooking, and opened a school for it .
South Africa’s youngest Eat Out Rising Star has added another first to her name.
Kayla-Ann Osborn, who has already built three restaurants and judged on MasterChef and My Kitchen Rules, has launched her own culinary school in Pennington on KwaZulu-Natal’s South Coast.
She said the decision came from years of training young chefs in her own kitchens.
“I have had so many trainees through my kitchens over the years, and I realised how much of the chef school training happens in the work placements,” she said.
“After opening the restaurants, I realised there was also a need for skilled staff in the area. The facilities were available on an estate here, and I thought, well, let’s go for it.”
The focus of her school is on giving aspiring chefs a skills-based education that equips them for real industry conditions.
“There isn’t enough focus on the skills needed to start small businesses and produce artisanal products,” she said. “My goal is to teach as many skills as possible. Artisan skills so that students can think out of the box, create new products or go into kitchens equipped to handle the pressure. Skills, skills, skills.”
Teaching as many skills as possible
The cooking school will offer accredited qualifications and practical experience in multiple culinary disciplines, including fine dining, patisserie, sourdough, gelato, wine tasting, coffee training and supplier negotiations. It will also include finance and small business training.
“I had absolutely no idea what I was doing when I opened my restaurants,” she said.
“I learnt those lessons the hard way. They are cornerstones of the industry, but they aren’t taught enough. Even for non-restaurant food businesses, things like finance and supplier negotiations are imperative for survival in this tough economy.”
She said her approach comes from first-hand experience.
She has worked at Delaire Graff, The Chef’s Table and even with Clare Smyth in London.
“The Chefs Table was without a doubt a baptism of fire,” she said.
“It was new, I was very young, there was no blueprint, and I had to manage a lot at once. It taught me how to work with people from a broad range of backgrounds, upbringings, ages and cultures. I learnt how to balance empathy with professionalism.”
Judging on television also impacted how she sees and engages with her students.
“What was different about judging was remembering the contestants had no formal training,” she said. “With students this is similar because they are very early into their careers. Mentoring is as much about cooking skills as the ability to cope with pressure.”
Flavour is the foundation
Osborn said that flavour has always been the foundation of cooking for her “One of my favourite dishes to still cook and eat is Bolognese,” she said.
“The ethos of delicious food is the thread that has carried through my whole relationship with food. My gran just cooks absolutely delicious food, and I always think about flavour first.”
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She often draws on her rural childhood for inspiration. “I grew up on farms and with a family who loves farming,” she said.
“I have a deep-rooted respect for how our food is produced. It is the backbone of my cooking and menu development, and that is what I teach.”
Life is busy, and she juggles motherhood with running restaurants and now a school. “I have the most incredible support structure,” she said.
“My mom, gran, sisters, my staff and friends. It takes a village. My children think they own the restaurants, and my team absolutely love them. Emmy and Mina are often making biscuits or rolling pizza dough.”
Everything’s about food
Her daughters are growing up immersed in everything food.
“My daughter Emersyn is a little chef in the makinG.
“She would make cupcakes every day if she could. She loves baking shows and recipe books. Sibling Mina is all about tasting. She loves my staff’s chicken curry and rice.”
When she does get time off, she doesn’t do fine fining. “I love a good braai,” she said. “Especially fresh fish with butter and chilli. You also can’t beat a boerie roll off the braai with chakalaka, coriander and extra chilli.”
