Newcastle West native Isabella Condon was last Monday night named as the 2025 Gold Service Scholar at an awards ceremony in Claridge’s Hotel, London. Her family runs the popular Marguerite’s Restaurant in her home town, and also one in Killarney, and operates a home bakery service covering West Limerick.
Isabella trained at the Shannon College of Hotel Management, and joined the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park London Hotel more than two years ago as a manager in training, before being appointed Junior Assistant Manager at its two-Michelin-starred restaurant in 2024.
After her win, Isabella said: “I’m so happy and totally lost for words. It’s an absolute privilege to work in this sector and to do what we do. The opportunities this profession can provide is incredible and we’re all so fortunate to be able to work with some incredible people, doing a job that we love.”
She was selected as the Scholar from a pool of ten finalists who competed in the competition final last month. They had to prepare for and serve a three-course lunch at the Corinthia London to a table of VIP guests.
As the new Scholar, she will receive a range of prizes tailored to support her professional development. Isabella will benefit from work experience at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok and Hong Kong, an overseas Rocco Forte hotel, and the three-Michelin-starred Waterside Inn in Bray, as well as a trip to Laurent-Perrier in Champagne. All winning finalists and semi-finalists also automatically join the Team Gold alumni network. They will also receive a trip to Porto, courtesy of Graham’s Port; a bespoke development programme at EHL Hospitality Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland, and the opportunity to work at a garden party in Buckingham Palace. Isabella is the daughter of Richard and Joan Condon and a former pupil of Scoil Mhuire agus Íde, Newcastle West.