Open to any professional chef working in Australia, Chef of the Year has grown over the past decade to become a sought-after title with $10,000 up for grabs, plus a wealth of exciting prizes.

“This year, the emphasis will be on showcasing the individual skills of each finalist,” said Competition Director Gary Farrell.

“Chefs will be able to nominate some ingredients for their pantry and will know feature ingredients in advance, enabling them to practise their dish.”

This year’s feature protein is pork, which Garry said is “will showcase the skills of the chef to bring out the best texture and taste.”

John McFadden will return as Head Judge of the competition, and Peter Howard AM will be MC.

“Peter has been involved in chef competitions for decades,” said Gary.

“As a founder of the Australian Culinary Foundation, he has always had a passion for chef training and development, plus he had a long television career and was one of the first ‘celebrity chefs’.”

During May the judging team will select 32 finalists to compete live over three days at the centre of Foodservice Australia, culminating in the Grand Final on Tuesday 29 May.

Gary said that more and more women are entering the competition, a trend he would like to continue.

“In recent years there have been some incredibly talented female chefs competing who have reached the finals. Maybe in 2018 we’ll have our first female Chef of the Year!”