Alumnus: Chef Chang Sheng (Peter) Ye

Chef Chang Sheng (Peter) Ye’s passion for food has taken him on a culinary and hospitality adventure to Vietnam. The 37-year-old alumnus, who grew up in Gqeberha, became interested in food when watching television shows such as Hell’s Kitchen and chose to train in hospitality before making the life-changing decision to study the culinary arts part-time instead. “I already had a Diploma in Hospitality Management when my passion for cooking really came to the fore. I realised it was what I wanted to do with my life and that it would give me greater opportunities so I asked the hotel where I was an intern if they would sponsor me to study part time at Capsicum. They agreed and I graduated in 2011 with a Diploma in Food Preparation and Cooking from the school’s Nelson Mandela Bay campus.



“It was the best decision I could have made. Capsicum solidified my culinary knowledge and gave me the theoretical knowledge I was missing.”

After graduating, Peter moved to Joburg and worked at various establishments, before the opportunity to work abroad arose and in 2016 he became the Executive Chef for the five-star Mia Resort Nha Trang in Vietnam and continued to climb the culinary and hospitality ladder. This year, as resort manager, he opened a new luxury resort that is part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World and the only one in Vietnam to be included in this group. Peter says his food idols are Marco Pierre White and Gordon Ramsay and his dream is to one day open his own small, but trendy restaurant, offering a fusion of East meets West dishes.