Emma Keenan wins 130th Anniversary Scholarship at Le Cordon Bleu London
Emma Keenan wins life-changing 130th Anniversary Scholarship at Le Cordon Bleu London.
Le Cordon Bleu London has announced Emma Keenan, from Enniskillen in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, as the winner of its prestigious 2025 scholarship competition, following a grand finale held on September 8th at the Bloomsbury Institute.
This year’s competition carried extra weight, celebrating Le Cordon Bleu’s 130th anniversary with the largest prize package in its history - a career-changing award valued at more than £90,000.
A winning performance
Sixteen aspiring chefs made it through to the final stage, where they were tasked with creating dishes under live competition conditions before presenting them to a panel of leading industry judges. On the panel were Emily Roux (Caractère), Chris Galvin (Galvin Restaurants), Nicolas Houchet (The Savoy), and Caoimhe O’Neill-McGuinness, who won the scholarship in 2024.
Aged 27, Emma stood out with her savoury choux ring with mushrooms, mascarpone and hazelnut and parmesan craquelin. Judges praised her determination, intuition, and passion for the craft, qualities that shone as much in her interview as they did in her cooking.
Later that evening, during a celebratory dinner at CORD by Le Cordon Bleu, she was officially crowned the 2025 winner.
A prize worth £90,000
Emma's award includes a full scholarship to the Grand Diplôme®, Le Cordon Bleu’s flagship qualification that combines intensive training in cuisine and pâtisserie. She will also benefit from a three-month internship at CORD, 12 months of accommodation in London, mentorship from Michel Roux Jr. and Chris Galvin, and an overnight stay at The Savoy.
Runners-up recognised for the first time
For the first time in the competition’s history, runners-up were also honoured. Melissa Kuo, from London, secured second place and a funded place on either the Basic Cuisine or Basic Pâtisserie programme.
Third place went to Ruby Goodens, from Hull, who will join the Summer Essentials Course. Both will also undertake a two-week internship at CORD and receive additional prizes from The Savoy and Phaidon. All 16 finalists were awarded a year’s membership to CKBK and a custom chef’s jacket from Clement Design.
“Take that shot”
Reflecting on her win, Emma said: “I don’t think I’ve ever felt so proud of myself in my life. I feel incredibly grateful because every finalist is a deserving winner. They’re all such talented and passionate people. I feel incredibly excited about the journey that’s in front of me and I can’t wait to get started.
"Anyone who is considering applying for the next scholarship, you absolutely need to believe and just take that shot. It comes with this sense of vulnerability, but it’s the best thing to put yourself out there for something you genuinely care about, because everything can change. If you are in any way passionate about food, you absolutely have to do it.”
A launchpad for culinary careers
Speaking after the final, Emil Minev, culinary arts director at Le Cordon Bleu London said: “This year’s 130th anniversary scholarship has been one of our most exciting and competitive to date. The level of creativity and dedication from all the finalists was exceptional, and Emma distinguished herself with outstanding technique and passion. We are honoured to support their culinary journey.”
The Le Cordon Bleu Scholarship competition has established itself as one of the UK’s most important entry points into professional cookery, offering opportunities to train with world-class chefs and gain invaluable industry experience.
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