There was something different about the dinner service at 33 on Bond on Wednesday night.

The kitchen was run and the tables were waited on by students, with the food on every plate being the result of months of careful training.

For the Swiss Hotel School in Ferndale, that was exactly the point.

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The school hosted one of its regular restaurant weeks on April 22, opening its training restaurant to the public as part of the three-year Professional Culinary Arts Programme. The evening’s menu celebrated South African cuisine presented in a fine dining style, paired with local wines.

Stephen Hickmore, director and co-owner of the Swiss Hotel School, said the restaurant week format gives students something no classroom can replicate.

“The experience for our students is being able to have the excitement of a real environment. Not a pretend classroom environment to be able to then hone their skills.”

The school runs the restaurant week once every two or three months. Two preparation days are followed by two evenings of public service, with students rotating through the kitchen and the front of house.

Hickmore said it was deliberate that chefs also waited tables. “You don’t normally see chefs waiting tables, but it’s important that they actually understand how a restaurant works. The three-year programme takes them through all the different cooking methods and through the different departments like pastry, hot kitchen, and fish.”

Beyond technique, the programme covers the business side of running a restaurant, including finance and leadership. In their second year, students complete a six-month paid internship, with many travelling to the United States, Switzerland, or working on cruise ships.

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Hickmore said that internship often leads directly to a first job after graduation.

The school, founded in Ferndale in 1995, operates two institutes covering hospitality management and culinary arts. Hickmore said both disciplines share a common philosophy: That education must lead to real employment.

“The most important thing I really want to put across is that the Swiss Hotel School isn’t just about education; it’s also about the outcomes of that education. Meaningful employment, which can take you anywhere that you want to, and also give you financial opportunity as well as career opportunity and travel opportunity.”

Hickmore noted that many students, particularly younger ones, had chosen hospitality precisely because it could not be automated.

“You’re never going to replace a chef and you’re not going to replace a hospitality manager with AI. Anything that is all about creating experiences for customers is not going to be replaced by a robot.”

As the evening wound down, Hickmore admitted that sitting as a guest in his own restaurant was not easy. “I’m a very jumpy individual. I’d probably, personally, much rather be on duty in the restaurant rather than sitting as a guest.”

But he had no complaints about the result. “By the end of this evening I’m going to be over the moon. I’m going to be hugging everybody.”

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