She has won the chance to study Diplôme de Cuisine and a Diploma in Culinary Management. She will also receive training at the two Michelin-starred restaurant, The Square, learning from chef Phil Howard.
Leslie said:“I’m extremely happy and I can’t wait for September to begin, I want to learn as much as possible. To attend Le Cordon Bleu for just a day for the finals was amazing, let alone for a whole Diploma. All the candidates did a brilliant job especially on the hottest day of the year, I feel honoured to have won the place.”
The award was not judged on what the contestants produced but rather on how they approached the practical session and their attentiveness during the demonstration.
The judging panel included Elaine McCarthy, a lecturer of the Diploma in Culinary Management, who added:
“I’m so pleased for Katie, she had an efficient work flow throughout the practical, expressed enthusiasm and confidence within her own ability, but was still positively self critical of her work. She also showed a great passion for the industry which led her to winning this year’s scholarship award. ”
Le Cordon Bleu is a network of culinary training institutions managed by André Cointreau. It has 40 schools worldwide, annually training over 20,000 students.