Isabella Condon, a Newcastle West Co Limerick local ,who is currently a Junior Assistant Restaurant Manager at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal has become one of just 10 finalists in a nationwide hospitality competition recognising the UK country’s best restaurant staff.
They will be competing in the final of the 2025 Gold Service Scholarship – a competition for young food and beverage service professionals in the UK – at Corinthia London on 13 January where they will serve high-profile guests from across the hospitality sector.
Winning finalists will be expected to plan, prepare for, and serve a three-course lunch to a table of four guests, including canapés, Champagne and wines, with three dishes served table side. They will be judged on their ‘mise en place’, welcome, table service, wine and beverage service; and most importantly, their professionalism and demeanour, social skills and potential.
The winning Scholar of the 2025 Gold Service Scholarship will then be announced at an awards ceremony taking place at Claridge’s in London on 10 February, 2025. Isabella grew up in the industry working with her Dad and family at Marguerites Bakery & Restaurant, Newcastle West, Co. Limerick. She graduated from Shannon College of Hotel Management and since then has been exploring luxury 5-star hospitality at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park London.
The winning finalists are:
• Isabella Condon, junior assistant restaurant manager, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, London
• Jacob Cranch, restaurant manager, the Tasting Room, Rathfinny Wine Estate, Sussex
• Andrea Di Gangi, assistant restaurant manager, Northall restaurant, Corinthia London
• Valentino Galdi, head waiter, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Great Milton, Oxfordshire
• Rogan Galea, assistant manager, the Strathearn, Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Perthshire
• Charlotte Hughes, head waiter, the Grill by Tom Booton at the Dorchester, London
• James Kenny, food and beverage duty manager, Killeavy Castle Estate, Newry, South Armagh
• Rebecca Panza, restaurant supervisor, Claridge’s restaurant, London
• Delphine Vielrecobre, head waiter, Pétrus by Gordon Ramsay, London
• Huw Williams, sommelier, the Woodspeen, Newbury, Berkshire.
The winning finalists were selected from what was the Gold Service Scholarship biggest ever semi-final. Fifty candidates made it to that stage of the competition, following quarter-finals in October at the Langham and Hotel Café Royal in London, where they were tested on their food and beverage knowledge through interviews, written assessments and a table layout test.
Each year’s winning finalists and Scholar receive a range of prizes tailored to support their professional development, including a trip to Porto, a bespoke development programme at EHL Hospitality Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland, and the opportunity to work a garden party at Buckingham Palace.
In addition, the scholar and a commended winning finalist benefit from work experience at prestigious hotels and restaurants such as the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok and Hong Kong, an overseas Rocco Forte hotel, and the three-Michelin-starred Waterside Inn in Bray, Berkshire, as well as a trip to Laurent-Perrier in Champagne.
All winning finalists also receive a host of professional development opportunities, and automatically join the Team Gold alumni network.
Edward Griffiths, trustee and chair of judges, said: “This has been another exceptional year, so much so that we had to extend the number of semi-finalists and now the final itself includes more candidates than ever before.
“My fellow judges and I are extremely excited for the upcoming final and would like to wish a hearty congratulations to all of the winning finalists.
“Making it to the quarter and semi-finals in the competition is already an exceptional achievement and these candidates have all demonstrated great skill and passion to reach the final. We are very much looking forward to their performance in January and finding out who will be the next Gold Service Scholar.”
The Gold Service Scholarship was launched in 2012 with the aim of inspiring the UK’s up and coming front of house talent through mentoring, study and placement opportunities.
