Oxford Cultural Collective reveals 2024 scholarship winners

20th November 2024

The Oxford Cultural Collective has revealed that Camila Marcias and Noby Leong are the winners of its two scholarships for 2024 – with both receiving £5,000 and mentoring in support of their respective projects.

Camila Marcias has been awarded the Lou Willcock scholarship, which embodies the creative character of hospitality and gastronomy. The award was created to honour the life and legacy of hospitality entrepreneur Lou Willcock. A trained chef with an MA in Food Policy from City, University of London, Marcias is currently working as deputy pastry chef at E5 Bakehouse in London.

Her ‘Sweet Latin America’ project aims to celebrate the Latin American community in the UK by highlighting its rich culinary traditions, especially those which blend indigenous and European influences.

Despite more than a quarter of a million Latin Americans living in the UK, Her project will focus on improving the visibility and representation of the UK’s significant community of Latin Americans (currently around a quarter of a million) by creating the first comprehensive digital platform and cookbook highlighting Latin America’s rich baking traditions and indigenous ingredients, as well as communities, cultures and cuisines in the UK.

Additionally, by featuring Latin American producers, farmers, home cooks and people within the hospitality industry in the UK, the project will support their livelihoods and have a culturally empowering effect.

Meanwhile, Noby Leong has been awarded the Golden Chopsticks scholarship, which captures the entrepreneurial spirit of the Chinese and East and Southeast Asian hospitality community.

Leong has a doctorate in chemistry and presents an online show used in schools to make chemistry accessible to children, however his real passion is Malaysian food and culture.

His project submission was to launch a podcast that will explore Malaysia’s food history and culture, providing Malaysian migrants with the opportunity to learn more about their culture, increase visibility of this community, and improve wider society’s understanding of Malaysian communities in the diaspora.

Donald Sloan, chair of the Oxford Cultural Collective, said: “Camila and Noby are incredibly competent and determined individuals who really understand the Oxford Cultural Collective’s ambition of creating a community of change-makers who will have a positive impact on society.

“Both have a strong sense of social purpose focused on extending cultural understanding, achieving community empowerment and giving voice to under-represented groups. We are delighted to be supporting them in developing their respective projects.”

Marcias said: “I am excited and happy for the support I am receiving from the OCC. It will enable me to represent Latin-Americans working in hospitality and bring a voice to a community which is often under-represented in the UK.”

Leong added: said: “Thank you to the Golden Chopsticks Award and the OCC. Satay? Okay! is all about the dishes that shaped Malaysia. It’s inspired by my late mother, who taught me that food is life. Through her cooking, she taught me that there are stories behind each dish, if you know where to look. With the support of this scholarship, I can’t wait to share these stories with the world.”

The scholarships are awarded by the OCC Trust, a registered charity that supports the educational agenda of the Oxford Cultural Collective.