Winner of Le Cordon Bleu Julia Child Scholarship 2019 Announced

Renowned culinary institute, Le Cordon Bleu London announced the winner of their coveted  Julia Child Scholarship. Bianca Tia Mesuria from Hackney in London, was the chosen candidate having beaten off immense competition with entry numbers for the prize at a record high this year.

The Scholarship aims to provide aspiring food entrepreneurs with the first steps to business success and was presented by one of Le Cordon Bleu’s best known Alumna, Mary Berry.

Bianca Tia takes home a prize value of  £40,000 which includes a place on Le Cordon Bleu’s Diplôme de Pâtisserie, recognised  globally as one of the most respected culinary qualifications in pastry and baking; a three month Le Cordon Bleu Diploma in Culinary Management; an internship at the iconic Savoy Hotel; and 12 months luxury accommodation provided by Londonist.

At the awards on 16th September 2019, Mary Berry said “It is a joy to be here this evening to present the Julia Child Scholarship Award. Seeing the passion all the candidates have for food is wonderful, and I truly hope this is the start of an exciting career for each of them. Bianca Tia Mesuria is a worthy winner, and starting her journey with Le Cordon Bleu, I am sure she is set for success!”

A construction Community Manager from Hackney, Bianca Tia now has just a few months to prepare for the start of the life changing prize which begins in January 2020. Bianca Tia said: “It all feels like I am dreaming. When Mary Berry announced my name I just felt it echo in my head for a moment before it really sank in, and I still can’t really believe it!”

As part of this year’s scholarship, Le Cordon Bleu teamed up with some of its most successful alumni to provide additional mentorship to the winner, including  Evelina Ogorzalek who runs Evelina’s Patisserie specialising in English cakes, modern French pastries and provide catering to London’s finest restaurants.

Bianca-Tia also received an exclusive prize from Churchill, the leading manufacturer of innovative tableware, as well as a 12-month membership with The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and tickets to The Business Show.  The standard of entries for 2019 was impressively high, and so second place and third place runners-up were announced as Kirsty Massa from Sandwich, Kent and Elizabeth Melia from Liverpool. They received high-performance ZWILLING Diplôme knives.

For more information visit Le Cordon Bleu Scholarship website

You might also like our interview with Julie Walsh Head Patisserie Chef at Le Cordon Bleu, and podcast with Le Cordon Bleu alumni Luciana Berry .  There’s also inspiration from our interview with, Olivia Burt, the first woman to reach the Roux Scholarship finals in four years.