Applications are now open for the IV Sammic Scholarship for BasqueStage.

You can apply for the scholarship’s first round right here, in a new streamlined process that will take you about five minutes.

So, what is it? Why apply?

BasqueStage is a program that carries on the tradition of nurturing young chefs, which is one of the peculiar characteristics of the culinary community of Basque Country, and one of the principal reasons it is home to more Michelin stars per person than anywhere else in the world. The stages work at Martín Berasategui’s three-star restaurant in Lasarte, Spain, just outside of San Sebastián in the Basque Region of Spain. The jury that chooses the two winners is packed with culinary luminaries, such as Daniel Bouloud, Thomas Keller, and Pedro Subijana.

BasqueStage winners receive a 6-month, all-expense-paid stage. This includes housing, airfaire, health insurance and  an instant platform to share their experiences with other chefs and lovers of food, through blog, video and social media.

The scholars’ rich experiences here, immersed in the kitchen life at Martín Berasategui as well as the enchanting community of Basque Country, have been chronicled for you to enjoy. Our current scholars are Ruth Selby and Elisha Ben-Haim, talented young cooks out of New York City.  Tracy Chang and Athena Thickstun were the winners of the first round of BasqueStage, which took place from January 2011 to June 2011.   Our II Sammic Scholars were Marco Bahena and Cameron Rolka.

Read and follow these scholars and apply today for your chance of a lifetime!