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Learn to cook.
Really cook.
Chef Maritha Steyn and her team have been teaching South Africans to cook professionally — and joyfully — for over 23 years. Whether you’re changing careers, starting out, or just want to get better in the kitchen, there’s a place here for you.
23+
YEARS TEACHING
1000
GRADUATES
18
PARTNER KITCHENS
Internationally
QUALIFIED LECTURERS
This school was built on the belief that everyone can cook well.
When I started Steyn's Culinary School in 2003, I wanted to create something Pretoria did not have — a school that felt like a kitchen, not a classroom. A place where you could walk in nervous and leave confident. Where the learning was practical, the instructors were real working chefs, and the atmosphere was warm enough that you would want to come back.
That has not changed. Our students range from 17-year-olds who know they want to be chefs, to 45-year-olds who have decided life is too short to keep cooking badly. All of them belong here
A NOTE FROM CHEF MARITHA
Chef Maritha Steyn,founder
WHAT WE OFFER
A course for every
kind of cook
From internationally accredited chef programmes to a Thursday evening curry class — we meet you where you are.
WHY STEYNS
What makes us
different.
I
Instructors who still cook
Every chef who teaches at Steyn's is actively working in or has worked at the top of their field. You learn from people who know what modern kitchens actually expect.
II
Small classes by design
We cap every class deliberately. Not for marketing — because you cannot learn to cook properly standing behind someone else. You get time at the bench, time with the instructor, and time to make mistakes.
III
A family school, not a franchise
Staff at Steyn knows most of her students by name. The atmosphere is warm, the feedback is honest, and the goal is always the same — that you leave better than when you arrived.
FROM OUR STUDENTS
Their words,
not ours.
"What began as a passion for food became a journey of self-discovery at Steyn's Culinary School, where I learned that true growth happens when talent meets humility, hard work, and purpose."
Anthony Tshimbombo
Graduate, now senior sous chef in Pretoria
"Not only were we guided through our careers; we were given the knowledge and lessons to be confident in our strengths and aware of our limitations."
Saihil Patel
Graduate, now head chef in Pretoria
"My time spent at Steyns Culinary School has taught me important values, not only as a chef but as a provider of service to those around me. It has made me a more grounded person and helped me develop qualities that I will carry throughout my life and career."
Alexia Bloemhof
Graduate, now self employed in Pretoria
