Chef of the Year competitions open for registration

Mississauga, Ont. – It’s time to throw your chef’s hat – or pizza box – into the ring. Registration opens today for the Canadian Pizza magazine’s Chef of the Year competitions, to be held Monday, Oct. 17, at the International Centre in Mississauga, Ont.

New this year: Competitors in Canadian Pizza magazine’s Chef of the Year competition may now vie for top honours through one of two divisions. The competition, sponsored by Saputo Foodservice and Moretti Forni, now features two divisions: Pizza Napoletana and Open. Competitors may sign up for either category, with 12 spots available in each for a total of 24. Division winners will go head to head in a final showdown to determine who will be named Chef of the Year. The winner and runner-up of the finale will both win trips to Las Vegas and spots to compete in the International Pizza Challenge.

Enter for five chances at glory:

•          Junior Chef of the Year (8 will compete)
•          The Great Pizza Box Fold-Off (10 will compete)
•          Chef of the Year – Pizza Napoletana Division (12 will compete)
•          Chef of the Year – Open Division (12 will compete)
•          Overall Canadian Pizza Chef of the Year (2 Pizza Napoletana and Open division winners will compete)

All chefs, including past and present champions, may compete if they meet eligibility requirements. Registration is on a first come, first served basis.

Junior Chef of the Year Division for chefs 14 to 17 years of age has eight spots available, and the Great Pizza Box Fold-Off, for pizzeria staff 14 years and up, has 10 spots available.

We are honoured to welcome to our judging panel Ettore Pugliese, co-owner of Vesuvio Pizzeria and Spaghetti House in Toronto, and two-time Chef of the Year Diana Cline, partner with Diana’s Cucina and Lounge in Winnipeg. We will announce additions to the judging lineup at www.canadianpizzamag.com as they are confirmed.

For more details and competition rules and a photo gallery, visit www.canadianpizzamag.com/pizzashow.

Three steps:

• Have a look at the details and rules.
• Choose your competition.
• Scroll down to enter. Entering is easy but we need some basic information about yourself, your pizzeria and the pie you intend to enter.

Important note: To enter, you must go through the easy competition sign-up process, which includes sharing a few quick details about you and your entry. Simply registering for the Canadian Pizza Show does not automatically register you for the competitions. Don’t worry – when you enter your competition, you’ll be prompted to register for the show as well (all free).

The Canadian Pizza Show and Chef of the Year competitions are brought to you by Canadian Pizza magazine, the voice of the Canadian independent pizzeria! Our generous competition sponsors are Saputo Foodservice and Moretti Forn. Our generous show sponsors are Saputo Foodservice, PizzaMaster distributed by Alfa Food Service and Stanislaus Food Products.