My journey with Hurst Campus started in February 2017 as the Campus Administrator.

As I always like to share, when I first came to The Hurst Campus, I knew nothing about the kitchen and all the different ingredients and equipment you need for professional cooking. Now, more than 5 years down the line, just as our students have developed and evolved at the campus, so have I.

Food has been just one part of my growth. More importantly, The Hurst Campus has moulded me into a better and more refined version of myself!

I am so grateful to be part of such an extremely talented and loving family of colleagues and students!

As your dedicated student administrator, I register you at the start of your journey, track your progress throughout the years meeting your campus admin needs including reports and transcripts and all communication with your family and sponsors. Finally, I will also have a tear of joy in my eyes when I print your graduation certificate, because the day always comes, when you leave our nest and we set you free to start your career.

I love every moment of being part of The Hurst Family, I know you will too!

Bertus is an oenologist, a multiple international award-winning winemaker, and has food truck called ASADOR. Michael Olivier – the renowned wine and food commentator – describes him as “a legend before his own lunchtime,” due to his wealth of experience and achievement. Notably, he is the creator of the iconic Coffee Pinotage which has converted many people to wine!

He considers himself a “wine nerd” and has completed his Master’s degree in Oenology from the University of Stellenbosch, a Diploma in Wine Business Management from the University of Adelaide & UCT Graduate School of Business and is a graduate of the Master of Champagne-programme from the Wine Scholar Guild. Sharing his knowledge with students has been a life-long passion.

I studied a BSc Consumer Science (Ed) degree at the University of Stellenbosch where I also received an Assessors certificate. After graduating I enjoyed 18 years teaching in secondary schools where I had many successes with the learners excelling academically as well as taking part in many competitions.

I joined the Hurst Campus on a part-time basis in 2001 whilst simultaneously running a small catering company and starting a food product range that remains on the market at various outlets. I have also spent some fulfilling time lecturing at the Consumer Science Department at the University of Stellenbosch. 

 In 2010 I joined The Hurst Campus on a permanent basis where I currently lecture Gastronomy, Nutrition and Health and Safety.  I have a passion for travelling and all things food connected and delight in sharing my experiences with my students hoping to inspire them to excel in their careers.

 I have seen many Hurst Campus students achieve great successes in their careers and am proud to be associated with this establishment.

My love for cooking started at a very young age where I would watch my mother be very creative with her cooking. I learned then that you can take the least amount of ingredients and make an amazing meal.  Her creativity inspired me to pursue a career in the food industry.
 
After matriculating, I studied Hospitality Services at Protea College. I started my career as a Commis Chef on a wine farm in Franschhoek, where I soon realized that the kitchen was my “happy place”. I joined Protea Hotel after a year of gaining valuable knowledge. I spent the next 6 years working hard to gain as much knowledge and experience as I could. In 2006 I went to work in England where my childhood dream to travel abroad was finally realized and where my love for travelling was born. After returning home I was on the opening team for The Harbour Bridge hotel in the capacity of Sous chef and after just a few months got promoted to Head chef.

In 2015 I joined the team at Spier wine farm where I learnt the importance of taking care of our environment and the community as well as uplifting the youth. Training young chefs has always been something that I have been passionate about, sharing my knowledge and skill with the next generation of chefs.

At the Hurst Campus I’m afforded the opportunity to share my knowledge and skill with the students, where they get to train in a working kitchen. Seeing them blossom and taking pride in what they do is rewarding.

“One of my best memories I have as a child is sitting around my grandmother’s kitchen table, smelling her freshly baked bread and watching grandma, Susan Steyn, making the most delicious traditional “Boerekos”.

Those moments made me fall in love with cooking, traditional flavours and the passion we as chefs have for the industry.

After I matriculated in Robertson, I qualified with my Chefs Diploma from a private chef school in Hermanus before then doing a number of additional courses in London and Italy.

 Having worked in the UK for Hilton and locally in SA for Protea Hotels, Umami, Par Avion and Southern Sun’s Grande West Casino Chef I accumulated many useful years of industry related work experience and knowledge.

 I also came to realize that I enjoyed teaching and training.  As a life long learner I have recognized the importance of traveling and continuing to educate myself. I am now a qualified Assessor and Moderator which has helped me to evolve into the field of education.  I secured my first position as a lecturer in Stellenbosch, before joining the Hurst Campus Team in March 2020.

The Hurst Campus is a chef school where kindness and compassion for others, rules and reigns. I have discovered that it is a place where I can be at my most creative while contributing towards the stunning learning environment for all our students.

I look forward to meeting you in my classroom and kitchen.

My husband and I opened a cookery school in 2006, in Wolseley. We used the very same concept that The Hurst Campus still practices today. To give the students the much needed theory aspect of the cheffing world, but at the same time giving them experience in a working kitchen- preparing the students for what lies ahead.

I had the privilege of starting work at The Hurst Campus from the beginning of 2019. Prior to working at Hurst I was a regular client of The Hurst Campus, as I loved the vibe of the café and the stunning cake collection that was always on display.

I am now working permanently as a Food and Beverage lecturer. Food and Beverage has always been my passion, I love people and I love food, so it works perfectly for me.

The Hurst Campus has a fabulous team of staff that work together to keep the campus running smoothly. It definitely has a “Home away from Home” feeling. I enjoy the diverse dynamic of all staff and all students.

A career snapshot
After school and a gap year spent travelling through Europe, Rebecca commenced with a BA degree at Stellenbosch University. Here she soon realised that her heart lay in exploring the world of international food and hospitality and returned to the United Kingdom.

A part-time job for the London-based Davey Group, wine merchants for the past 155 years, led her into their professional kitchen where, with her instinctive style, she found her niche. From here she started working her way up through the rungs of the hospitality industry. As Assistant Manager for the Davey group, this position spring boarded the next opportunity of becoming part of the opening team of a new restaurant for the Searcy Group at the Barbican Centre in London.

Having gained precious experience in England, Rebecca returned to South Africa. She owned a food truck and catering company before studying again. To fine tune her cooking skills, she enrolled for the Advanced Food and Wine Chef Diploma at The Culinary Academy. Her future in the culinary arts was confirmed when she was offered a partnership in that business. Rebecca later bought the remaining shares and took over as the sole owner and director of the Academy 2002.

The Hurst Campus
Under Rebecca’s guidance, The Culinary Academy (TCA) was renamed as The Hurst Campus and has grown into an internationally accredited and recognised private hospitality management and chef’s school. It is respected as one of the best hospitality training establishments in South Africa with a proud 28-year history.

Rebecca has been instrumental in directing the development of the course material and foundational curriculum  together with her talented team of professional chefs and academics, to align fully for accreditation purposes and to equip her graduates with the skills they need to be readily employable in the hospitality industry, both locally and abroad. Her role is to constantly assess what the industry requires and to ensure that the accredited educational programmes on offer at the campus produce graduates who can successfully compete on a global platform. The personal development and success of each student is an essential building block of how the campus teaches and mentors. Ongoing research into the unique needs of their millennial and Gen Z client base is a vital part of creating a safe, family style learning space for all staff, visitors, and students. Top quality internships and a job guarantee are part of what is on offer. She recognises that tourism and the hospitality industry are one of the main sectors, which provides employment opportunities both in South Africa and on the global stage. Rebecca remains determined to be able to contribute to the economy by empowering her students to become the best they can be when it comes to entrepreneurship, emotional intelligence, hospitality in their hearts and having above average cooking and baking skills.

Graduates have become highly respected and sought after within the hospitality industry with many of them having gone on to become well-known chefs at some of the country’s recognized culinary establishments. These success stories include,  Chris Erasmus, Executive Chef at the Newmarket Hotel Group Terrarium Restaurant,   Brett and Anneli Nortier,  Owners of Rosemead Artisanal Bakery Yzerfontein,  Carolize Coetzee, Executive Head Chef at Tokara, Dale Stevens Head Chef | Patron at Eat Out 2 Star Award Faber Restaurant, Jonno Proudfoot Author of 4 books including being a co-author of the bestselling cookbook The Real Meal Food Revolution, Xoliswa Tyeya Owner Imbizo Coffee, Lebogang and Tebogo Ndala, authors and owners of With Love from The Twins and Brand Ambassadors for Laager Rooibos and Ciska Rossouw owner of Madame Baker. International achievement includes, Rutger Eysvogel who was Head Chef of Michelin Star Jan Restaurant in Nice for 3 years, Innes Sumaai Head Chef Samanea Beach Resort and Spa in Cambodia, Ettiene Truter, Executive Assistant Manager Swissotel Nankai Osaka Japan, Emmanuel Hardy, Operational Manager at La Potiniere in Mauritius, Louise English, Executive Pastry Chef,  The Cove, Bahamas and Amy Baard who won Iron Chef Thailand.

Helping to grow the leaders of tomorrow

Rebecca continues to remain active with student life on campus by lecturing in Entrepreneurship and the Communication and Leadership modules while having a proactive interest in the personal development of each student. She is also instrumental in all aspects surrounding the vision and operational management of the business. Through pro-active educational development and recruitment, motivation and the personal empowerment of her close-knit professional team Rebecca has kept the campus at the forefront of private chef and hospitality schools in South Africa.

Rebecca feels privileged and humbled to have the opportunity of educating her students. Her philosophy is simple. Any dream could become a reality if you prepared to work hard, have an attitude of gratitude, are kind to others and are determined to achieve that goal. She believes in encouraging everyone to take the necessary action to realize their true potential. She is a strong believer in vocational education because of its employment opportunities.

Rebecca is very collaborative and has surrounded herself with caring and compassionate colleagues who share her Christian vision of a culture of caring, strong family values and teaching with integrity. She believes in cultivating an environment of belonging where the heartbeat of everyone matters. In 2015 she completed an executive coaching course through UCT to further assist her with mentoring her team and students. In 2024 she graduated with her 3 Year Diploma from Charis Bible College which she did with time spent both at the campus in Colorado, USA, and CBC Cape Town. In 2024 she also completed the Charis Directorship Training Programme.

Rebecca’s work environment provides regular contact with the hospitality industry because all her students complete two internship cycles as part of their qualification. She visits local restaurants and hotels to assess their suitability as internship partners. Rebecca also travels frequently and in recent years has visited and researched some of the most highly rated hospitality schools in the UAE, Switzerland, Mauritius, Greece, France, Mexico, and Italy and explored the culinary cultures of China, Australia, USA, and the UK.

This research is necessary to help her further develop the programmes currently on offer at The Hurst Campus in line with internationally taught curriculums. Rebecca continues to be inspired by her faith in God and His purpose for the campus, her students, the global challenges of education vs the needs of the workplace environment and schooling and parenting in the 21st century.  Her spirit of entrepreneurship, curiosity about life and people together with lots of networking, research and reading is what constantly drives the vision for the business forward.

The campus is situated at 132 Main Road Paarl in the Cape Winelands.

066 483 2530
info@thehurstcampus.co.za
132 Main Road, Paarl,
Western Cape, 7646