This year, International Wine Center is pleased to have two of its own receive scholarships through the New York Chapter of the esteemed Les Dames d’Escoffier organization: Lorea Amatria Senar and Carie Penney. Both women were recognized earlier this month at a night dedicated to celebrating extraordinary women pursuing careers in the food, beverage and hospitality industries.
Lorea Amatria Senar received the 2019 Les Dames d’Escoffier New York Chapter International Wine Center Scholarship. Lorea, a wine industry professional from Navarra, Spain plans to use her award to continue her WSET Level 4 Diploma studies at IWC as she pursues her dream of creating a Spanish wine brand. Since moving to New York, she has developed new business for Spanish food and wine companies, hosted multiple seminars and wine dinner events, and spoken as a conference panelist. Lorea believes education is a central component of her activities and that it is crucial to her future plans—as the wine industry continues to evolve, she recognizes that she must keep learning and growing with it. Commenting on her future goals, Lorea said, “I aspire to lead my field in the development of the Spanish wine market, creating a solid, respected and long-lasting brand. I am on the path to becoming a highly educated wine professional and will pursue the WSET 4 Diploma.”
The $2000 IWC scholarship was presented by IWC Director and Dame Mary Gorman-McAdams MW.
The Aileen Robbins Memorial Scholarship, created in honor of Dame Robbins who passed away earlier this year, was awarded to IWC student, Carie Penney. A District Manager for Jackson Family Wines in metro NY, Carie started her career at Wolffer estates more than ten years ago, where she completed her first harvest with winemaker Roman Roth. She has since worked for Vias Imports, VOS Imports, Frederick Wildman & Sons, and Southern Glazers before moving into the supplier side in her current role. In addition to earning the WSET Diploma, Carie’s goal is to share her passion, experience and knowledge of wine to consumers and trade.
“One of the key goals within LDNY is to provide educational opportunities to talented young women to pursue their goals, dreams and become tomorrow’s leaders in the hospitality world,” commented Gorman-McAdams. “At IWC, we have been fostering wine and spirits education since 1982. Hence, we are thrilled to support both Lorea and Carie as they continue their studies with us, specifically the rewarding yet demanding WSET Diploma program. Both ladies have already achieved so much, and we look forward to seeing them continue to develop into leaders and mentors in their own right.”
