The 50 Best BBVA Scholarship is open to chefs or culinary students with less than three years’ experience in professional kitchens, and offers the chance to train in some of the world’s top restaurants.
The first recipient will undertake two stages at Mugaritz in Spain (ninth on the 2017 list) and Atelier Crenn in San Francisco, USA (83rd in the 51-100 list) over a three-month period.
They will also receive £1,000 and be flown to The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2018 awards ceremony in Bilbao, Spain to receive the scholarship live on stage.
The three-stage judging process will be overseen by the 50 Best team with input from host chefs Andoni Luis Aduriz of Mugaritz and Dominique Crenn of Atelier Crenn, and BBVA representatives.
Aduriz spent almost four years doing stages in different restaurants, including El Bulli, where he interned for a year before being offered a full-time job.
“My parents didn’t have the resources to pay for my culinary studies and I couldn’t access the knowledge I was hungry for,” says Aduriz.
“Sometimes you need for those doors to be opened in other ways. That’s why initiatives like the 50 Best BBVA Scholarship are important, because they help democratise the idea that we need to support talent regardless of the resources they have access to. If you’re working to create a different world, you need to open new roads for those that want to do the same.”
Chefs have until 5 February to submit their online application.
The winner will document their experiences at the host restaurants and the results will be shared across The World’s 50 Best Restaurants and BBVA social media channels.
“Life is about inspiring people, but also being inspired by others; about being curious, but also offering the next generation what you have learned,” says Crenn.
“Being a part of this mentorship is really a gift for us, helping us understand where we are today and where we can be tomorrow.”
Entrants must be aged 18 or over. For more information and to apply online click here.