S. Pellegrino wants you! The brand’s global chef scouting program attracts the best best and brightest young chefs from around the world.  Last year, more than 3,000 applications were submitted from 191 countries and we’re hoping that this year, more young Canadian chefs will make it to the finals.

Any young chef in the world can submit their application together with their signature dish at Finedininglovers.com. Chefs must be no older than 30 years old and are required to have at least one year experience working in a restaurant as a chef, sous chef or chef de partie.

The jury who will decide Canada’s representation on the world stage are three of Canada’s most notable chefs – Normand Laprise (Toqué! and Brasserie T!, Montreal, QC), Connie DeSousa (Charcut, Calgary, AB) and Rob Gentile (Buca, Bar Buca and Buca Osteria & Bar, Toronto, ON).

Laprise will act as “Mentor Chef” to the Canadian winner, working to develop his or her signature dish before traveling together to the Grand Finale in Milan, a two-day intense cooking competition that decides the 2016 S. Pellegrino Young Chef.

The Grand Finale will feature a renewed panel of judges, the Seven Sages, who will be responsible for selecting the S. Pellegrino Young Chef 2016. The international jury includes:  David Higgs (Saxon Hotel and Spa, Johannesburg, ZA), Carlo Cracco (Cracco Ristorante, Milano, IT), Gaggan Anand (Gaggan, Bangkok, TH), Elena Arzak (Arzak, Gipuzkoa, ES), Mauro Colagreco (Colagreco and Mirazur Restaurants, Menton, FR), Wylie Dufresne (WD~50, New York, US) and Roberta Sudbrack(Restaurante Roberta Sudbrack, Rio de Janeiro, BR).

You’ve got till March 31st to enter.  For complete contest rules and application forms, click here.

Photo: 2015’s Paul Moran