The closing date for the Restaurant Association’s 21st annual Young Chef Young Waiter competition has been extended.

Application forms can now be submitted right up until Friday 29 July 2005.

The competition is open to all chefs and waiters aged 25 or under who are working full time in the UK, and is widely recognised as providing a platform for entrants to compete with their peers and boost their profile.

Prizes include an all expenses paid trip to Barbados, a weekend for two at the luxurious Pennyhill Park Hotel, an exclusive visit to Champagne Louis Roederer in France and £2,000 cash.

This year the event is being organised by the Restaurant Association and Springboard UK in partnership with the Savoy Educational Trust and American Express, and supported by Louis Roederer, HSBC, the Barbados Tourist Authority and the British Hospitality Association (BHA).

Initial chef entries will be judged by a panel headed by Phil Howard, chef-patron of the two-Michelin starred restaurant The Square in London, and the waiters’ entries by a panel headed by Jeremy Rata, general manager of the Devonshire Arms in Yorkshire.

Both panels will whittle the entrants down to 32 chefs and 32 waiters to take part in three regional heats to be held at Glasgow Metropolitan College, Thomas Danby College and Thames Valley University in September.

At the regional finals chefs will be tested on basic cooking skills including butchery, theoretical knowledge and the ability to create a dish from surprise ingredients. Waiters will be tested on their service and interpersonal skills and undertake a written paper to assess their overall knowledge.

The 16 regional finalists will enjoy a trip to visit Louis Roederer Champagne in Reims in late September. The Grand Final is to be held at Westminster Kingsway College in early October, followed by a prestigious presentation at the House of Commons that evening.

The winning chef and waiter will each receive £2,000 and a week-long trip to Barbados, courtesy of Barbados Tourism. Second prize winners will each receive £1,000 and a weekend break for two at Pennyhill Park Hotel, Surrey. Third prize winners will receive £500 and catering equipment from Hansens Kitchen Equipment worth £500.

For further information contact: Marlyn Howitt, national operations manager, Springboard UK, c/o Glasgow Metropolitan College, 230 Cathedral Street, Glasgow, G1 2TG. Tel: 0141 552 5554, email: [email protected]

Application forms can be downloaded at www.springboarduk.org.uk/ycyw