lara victoria

MBA, Dipwset, Csw

chef. somm. stylist. writer. judge. educator. designer.

Lara is one of the most qualified hospitality professionals in the trade. In addition to earning the coveted WSET Diploma from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, UK, she is also a Certified Specialist of Wine, designated by the Society of Wine Educators, USA. She is a Certified Sherry Educator as well, certified by the Consejo del Marco de Jerez, Spain. Her love for sake took her to Japan where she learnt all about it and became a Sake Educator. Lara is now a WSET Certified Educator and teaches all levels of their certification in wines, spirits and sake through Cru Classe Hospitality Corp. This is a hospitality consultancy business that she founded in 2009. It is also an Approved Program Provider (APP) for WSET.

Her passion in gastronomy started way before her journey into beverage alcohol. After completing her Bachelor’s degree, she was trained in Food Technology as a Pastry Chef. Today, her love for learning has taken her passion into experimenting with Molecular Gastronomy as well. This extensive complement of qualifications and experience in food, wines and other beverages, therefore makes Lara the undisputed expert in food pairings.

To add to all this, Lara is a fount of creativity. Having been gifted her first camera by her father at the age of 7, Lara developed an eye for aesthetics since a very early age. Now, as a Food Stylist, it is her work in Culinary Arts that is the subject of her creative lens.

Lara has a way with words too! In addition to being a speaker and an educator, she has contributed to several articles in print and online. Her literary acumen is undeniable and yes, so is her sense of humour. Her readers have often found themselves vicariously salivating over the bracing acidity of Riesling from Pfalz, balancing the richness of a pan-seared Duck breast, or simply getting their hands on the bottle of sake she has been raving about! Whatever the article may be, Lara’s passion for the subject comes through and its influence is known to be delightfully contagious!

Her love for travel and experiencing new cultures, food and customs takes her to many places across the world. This greatly influences her work which reflects her global approach in culinary artistry, recipe creation and food styling.

Given all her credentials and experience, she is now also a Judge for the International Wine & Spirits Competition in the UK.

A chef, a somm, a stylist, a writer, a judge, an educator and a designer … Lara is undoubtedly today’s multi-faceted Lifestyle Expert.