They made it

Testimonials from trainers

ANDRE AHIBA

Chef at the French Embassy in Pretoria

I had the chance during my vacations to have a dream stay at Addo African Home. A beautiful lodge, spacious and a relaxing setting. The rooms are chic, and the service staff is very efficient.

My favorite thing is the exquisite cuisine. I had the chance to give a practical training in catering (service, cooking) to the young people of this place. They were curious to learn from me, very invested when I came, I had a lot of fun.

The cherry on the cake was the visit of the elephant park.... What emotions for all the team of visitors.

Thank you again and a lot of encouragement in your enterprise.

Congratulations.

DAVID BOZEC

Culinary Consultant & Trainer

Laurence Armand and her teams invited my father, a butcher, and myself, a French chef, to come and spend some time in South Africa.

The Molo Lolo teams welcomed us with joy and kindness, wishing to discover the butcher's profession and to train in the kitchen. It was also an opportunity for my dad to present all the opportunities for employment and activities through the butcher cooperative. Meat traceability, animal welfare, cutting, learning about the different cuts... so many subjects that punctuated these days of learning and exchange.

The young people were delighted and very involved during these exchanges and learning about the specificities of the butcher and cook professions.

For your information, to make your stay unique, the team of the Lodge Molo lolo hotel offers activities that are unparalleled and unheard of in the region. Indeed, in addition to offering rooms and suites of great luxury decorated with care and attention to detail, this establishment puts the small dishes in the big by offering fun activities such as safaris in the park Addo Elephant.

We spent a stay rich in exchanges and sharing! Thank you again.

FRANCE DU SARTEL

Cooking cheffe

I came to Addo African Home in 2018 as a cheffe, for a 2 months mission. It was just after my French cooking diploma. I discovered how rich, intense, and interesting it was to work at this place with students to coach, menus to change, following the seasonal products, using the fresh vegetables and herbs from the garden. I learnt about permaculture which I speak a little bit about in Les Échappées Belles on a French TV Show.

4 years later, 2022, here I am again because I missed this place so much. I took time in France to work and, in that way, to get more experiences, better skills and competences to coach the actual cooking team : the morning team for bakeries and pastry, and the evening team for the restaurant, with pedagogy, encouragement, creativity and dynamism. The students are very passionate and they really want to improve themselves, learn new tips and recipes to always have a better level.

This mission brings me so much joy, the place is very wonderful, and the staff is very nice. Molo Lolo Restaurant and Cooking School is a very great place to learn and to get skills through culinary, human, professional and cultural exchanges.

Testimonials from former students

SIVE

Second cook in a restaurant in Cape Town

I have always been passionate about cooking. After high school, in 2019, I entered a cooking school in Cape Town where I learned a lot of theory for 1 year. But in my opinion, cooking is best learned with practice from qualified people.

So, my culinary school put me in touch with Molo Lolo Restaurant in Addo, at the end of 2019, so that I could discover a professional environment and especially that I could practice cooking more.

I completed a 6-month internship, housed, and fed on site. These 6 months were divided into 3 months dedicated to breakfasts, and the other 3 months dedicated to dinners.

The apprenticeship at Molo Lolo Restaurant was a real chance and opportunity for me because I was trained by French chefs who regularly came to Addo to share their skills and knowledge, which helped me a lot to be who I am today, I am extremely grateful.

SEARL

Cook

I arrived at Molo Lolo Restaurant in 2018. I was put in contact with Lolo who immediately offered me a 6-month internship at his side to learn cooking in professional conditions. I learned a lot at Molo Lolo: Here, there are customers, we are in real conditions, it's not school anymore.

I was trained by Chef Antoine who came for several weeks to teach us how to cook and to share his French know-how. It was a very enriching experience for me.

These 6 months allowed me to realize the complexity of the chef's job and that it is important to be very meticulous to meet the needs of the customers. I use this experience today in the restaurant where I work.

Thank you for everything Lolo.

SINDY

Kitchen Assistant

I joined the first class of students at Molo Lolo Restaurant. I worked for 6 months in Addo, with professional French chefs, notably Chef Antoine and Chef France who taught me about cooking in general.

I felt that I really developed professionally, more than what I had learned in cooking school. It was a great experience, in a very nice working environment with a big kitchen, I really loved it.

Now I am working as a second chef in a restaurant in Port Elizabeth, and I am confident in what I am doing because of what I learned at Molo Lolo Restaurant.