Restaurants face a simmering chef scarcity

The restaurant industry is reliant on tourism, and tourism is reliant on restaurants, says award-winning chef Luke Dale Roberts of The Potluck Club and The Shortmarket Club. But a shortage of chefs may threaten both, in South Africa and elsewhere.

According to the Hotel Management Network, long hours, meagre pay and a high-pressure environment are driving chefs into less demanding occupations in Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

The UK has been particularly hard hit, with reports indicating a 10% shortage of head chefs and a 21% shortage of production chefs. In part, that’s a result of Brexit, which “ruined the hospitality industry [for the country]”, says Dale Roberts. The UK’s withdrawal from the EU struck Europeans from the market, he says. They made up 70% of the labour force.

“What has happened with England is pretty tragic … restaurants with three Michelin stars that have been open for 30, 40 years are closing because they can’t manage. Many operate only one service because they don’t have the people,” he adds.

To plug the gap, the country’s restaurants have looked elsewhere — and well-trained South African chefs are on the list. “Before Covid, for a South African passport holder to get a work permit in the UK was virtually impossible,” says Carianne Wilkinson, vice-principal of Silwood Kitchen, one of the top cooking schools in South Africa. “Since Covid we have seen graduates … being paid for in full to go to the UK.”

It’s just part of the reason South Africa is feeling the pinch. Chefs are coming through cooking schools, says Dale Roberts, but many want to work on cruises as soon as possible because of the lure of tax-free earnings, hard currency and travel. Some do want to stay and really learn to cook, “but the percentage has shifted”. 

And those chefs who come back tend to price themselves out of the market. “It’s a vicious cycle,” says chef patron Darren Badenhorst of Le coin Français, Dusk and Nocturne.

Covid has had a hand in the shortage too. “Lockdown meant chefs stayed home and experienced life away from the high-pressured kitchen environment and the long, unsocial hours,” says Wilkinson. “Many decided not to return.”

Elsu Gericke, head of education and skills development at the South African Chefs Association (SA Chefs), says changes in the education space as well as the difference in the skills taught by public and private institutions have created a gap. There’s a gender and diversity bias too: “Women are [seen as] cooks and men as chefs … and it’s going to take time for women to be recognised in the kitchen,” she adds.

Restaurants are trying to work around the shortage. Dale Roberts moves staff among his five restaurants to fill gaps. And Badenhorst tries to offer the most competitive salary possible; he also promotes from within and attends to the mental wellbeing of his employees.

Still, the upshot is that competent kitchen staff are overworked. “[Restaurants] are closing because they’re trying to keep labour costs down to save the business,” says Gericke. “But employing a 22-year-old graduate at a low salary to run a kitchen breaks them; they do not have the experience, and we are losing valuable talent in the industry.

Local opportunities

It’s not all bad news. For a start, not everyone is looking to leave South Africa. A top chef says he’s all about getting behind the craft and building something substantial at home.

The shortage also offers a “massive opportunity”, says Dale Roberts, who enjoys mentoring disadvantaged people or those who don’t have the funds for tertiary education. He’s invested heavily in educating and upskilling, and two of his head chefs started out in the scullery.

Karen Short, who runs catering company By Word of Mouth, is doing something similar; she invests in upskilling, often through in-house training. “One of our top chefs is a former security guard; he’s been with us for over 15 years,” she says. And the head of the company’s cold division used to work in the Shorts’ house.

Then there are the traditional training schools. Wilkinson says her school has extended its offering beyond the full-time course due to demand in the wake of Covid, and is offering training in apprenticeship and other courses.

Also, new culinary schools are opening. The V&A Waterfront has started a pilot project for training hospitality personnel. In a partnership with Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, the V&A Academy will, from next year, prepare 2,500 young people a year for roles in the tourism, hospitality and retail sectors.

Sun City Resort is looking to start its own culinary academy, working with institutions and chefs, and setting up training kitchens and classrooms.

And SA Chefs is on a drive to teach soft skills such as conflict resolution, critical thinking and the ability to work in diverse kitchens, says Gericke.

Still, the industry is tough, and aspirant chefs need to know what they’re getting into. Says Wilkinson: “If cheffing is not your passion, it’s manual labour under the worst conditions. I always advise potential students to spend at least a week or two in a professional kitchen before embarking on a career in the field.

“Cooking at home is completely different from cooking professionally.”

This feature originally appeared in Financial Mail.