Hot Cares helps future chef reach for her dreams
“I would never have been able to afford this and it’s a dream come true."

HThanks to the generosity of HOT 102.7FM and the Guvon Academy, a 20-year-old aspiring chef from a single-parent household is on track to realise her dream of a career in the culinary arts.
Jessica Boyce learned the news from Joburg’s Hottest Breakfast Show at the Johannesburg-based radio station HOT 102.7FM, which collaborates with Hot Cares to improve the lives of those in its community.
Boyce has been awarded a three-year Chef Apprenticeship Programme with the Guvon Academy, valued at R350 000, which includes all textbooks, tuition fees, uniforms, and knives.
“I’m in complete and utter shock,” said Boyce. “I would never have been able to afford this and it’s a dream come true. Making people happy through food is what I want to do, and this bursary is just the start I need. I just love cooking and it’s something I’ve enjoyed doing all my life. Now I get to make a career out of it!”
Boyce is a waitress and former restaurant manager, and her three-year programme will include on-the-job training at the Guvon Hotels & Spas Group, as well as professional mentoring and development. This will allow her to gain firsthand knowledge of various aspects of a professional hospitality establishment.
According to Johan Oosthuizen, Managing Principal of the Guvon Academy, once recipients complete this qualification, integration as a permanent staff member into one of the Guvon Hotels is a real option and a ‘fast track’ into formal employment.

“What an incredible opportunity!” exclaimed HOT 102.7FM Managing Director Lloyd Madurai.
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“Having long-standing and generous partners like the Guvon Academy makes our job so much easier and rewarding, but hats off to Jessica, who is passionate about the culinary arts, and her motivation for this bursary was simply outstanding.”
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Every year, Hot Cares hosts its Teddython fundraiser with HOT 102.7FM, and the 2022 event raised a whopping R8.9m in cash, goods, and services, with all of these funds and products – including the Guvon Academy bursary – allowing Hot Cares to continue its work in the coming year.