Media Release

8 May 2012

Le Cordon Bleu Announce Scholarship Winners

A group of aspiring chefs and restaurateurs are closer to fulfilling their culinary dreams after being announced as the first Le Cordon Bleu New Zealand scholarship recipients.

Le Cordon Bleu New Zealand, the newest Le Cordon Bleu Institute to be opened since the school was founded in Paris in the late nineteenth century, has awarded substantial fee reductions to 15 talented students, to mark its opening in October 2012.

The scholarship winners have been selected from the UK, Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia, India and China with eight scholarships awarded to New Zealanders.

Institute director, Cath Hopkin, says the school received a large number of scholarship applications and course enrolments from New Zealanders.

“We’ve always known there would be a significant number of applications from overseas students and the school will definitely benefit from having a diverse range of cultures. Interest from within New Zealand has also been very high with nearly half of our enrolments to date from Kiwis.

“For over a century, Le Cordon Bleu has built its reputation as the ultimate place to prepare for the pressure of professional life in a top restaurant. We know Le Cordon Bleu’s arrival in New Zealand has been the catalyst for many local applicants to take the leap to study cuisine, patisserie and hospitality management,” Ms Hopkin says.

Scholarship winners include a restaurant pastry chef, a lawyer and a well-travelled professional chef with a dream to hone his skills at a world-class institute. Masterchef 2012 finalists, Chris Turner and Andrea Bathgate, have also been granted scholarships.

Scholarships have been awarded for the principal Le Cordon Bleu courses including the Bachelor in Culinary Arts and Business, the Bachelor in Hospitality Management, the Diplôme de Cuisine and Diplôme de Pâtisserie, and basic certificates in Cuisine and Patisserie.

Seven of the eight New Zealand recipients were presented their scholarships in Wellington on Monday 7 May 2012 by Le Cordon Bleu International President and owner, Andre Cointreau.

ENDS

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