A
visit to HTA
School of
Culinary Art
in Randburg,
north-west of
Joburg, is a
juxtaposition
of old and new.
Students learn to cook using the
latest equipment, crafting their
culinary skills to become top chefs
of the future. And yet they are
surrounded by hundreds of years
of history in the form of vintage,
antique and pre-loved items on
every wall and surface, inside and
outdoors, across the premises,
reminding them that once upon
a time, the daily conveniences
they take for granted looked
quite different.
Chef, educator, businessman and
HTA’s founder, Stephen Billingham,
has a fascination for copper pots, pans
and kettles; mincers, grinders, slicers
and cutters; pepper mills; scales; tins;
milk cans; signage; pipingnozzles,
cookie cutters, cake tins and
measuring cups; cutlery, chef’s knives
and lifters; and much more. In similar
numbers are vintage typewriters,
movie cameras, film reels, books,
cupboards, ice boxes, shelves, Dutch
ovens, and grape and maize presses.
He even has a 1953 VW Beetle boot
bonnet, which has pride of place in
what was the original garage of the
homestead on which the school is
built, now called the Culinary Garage.
All of these treasures reflect the rich
culinary legacy and heritage of South
Africa and the international cooksand chefs who form the foundation of
today’s hospitality industry. These are
household and professional kitchen
items that once were involved in
everyday life, and perhaps still are, in
kitchens around the country. Stephen
is a self-confessed building and
memorabilia collecting addict, the
two passions going hand in hand –
for every building, room and venue
that goes up creates a blank canvas
on which to create new and
interesting displays.
“Foraging comes naturally to chefs.
Recently I foraged for aged zinc
corrugated sheets and salvaged
building materials in the Cosmo City
informal settlement. These pieces
lend a bespoke look; they have
heritage and history, and are naturally
weathered,” Stephen explains. “I likeFOODANDHOME.CO.ZA SEPTEMBER 2019 51