The event is being launched by the Craft Guild of Chefs and will culminate in a live final at the Restaurant Show at Earls Court, London, on October 11.The National Chef of the Year competition has been running since 1972 and is one of the UK’s most respected culinary challenges. It has helped to launch the careers of some of industry’s most celebrated chefs, many with Michelin stars. Past winners include the likes of Gordon Ramsey, Mark Sargent, Kevin Viner, Bruce Sangster, William Stafford and the most recent winner Simon Hulstone, chef patron at the Elephant, Torquay.A number of changes have been made to this year’s competition which reflects the diversity of today’s marketplace and cooking styles. For the first time, applicants will be able to enter under specific categories which reflect this diversity.David Mulcahy, corporate events organiser for the Craft Guild of Chefs, said: “The competition is one of the mostly highly regarded events on the culinary calendar and is widely seen as the ultimate accolade for progressive chefs.“In an effort to reflect changes within the restaurant industry, we have made some significant changes to this year’s event, introducing categories to encourage the more ethnically diverse cuisines. The National Chef of the Year competition continues to dominate the culinary competition arena and remains the most exciting competition to enter for aspiring chefs.”Four heats hosting 10 semi-finalists selected through a paper judging process will take place at colleges in the UK. Each heat will concentrate on one of the follow categories:• Asian/Oriental• Modern British/Irish• European (Continental, Central and Eastern, Scandinavian and