Culinary award organisers ask India to nominate chefs who can use skill to make an impact on society

The organisers of a prestigious annual culinary award on Monday appealed to gastronomy experts from India to nominate chefs who can showcase the country's exceptional skills in using culinary means to make an impact on the society.

The 100,000 euro Basque Culinary World Prize, now in its fourth year, honours a "trailblazing" chef from among worldwide nominees in recognition of their "transformative impact beyond the kitchen".

The Basque Culinary Centre in San Sebastian in Spain, which collaborates with the Basque government on the annual prize, said that it is keen to reach out to India because of the country's tradition of using culinary means to make an impact on the society.

"The knowledge of cooks can be used to provide solutions to the many problems where food plays a fundamental role. Through their expertise, creativity, commitment to excellence -and often boldness - chefs are showing that it is possible to make a huge difference to realities on the ground, said Joxe Mari Aizega, Director of the Basque Culinary Centre.

"In India, there is a long tradition of this work, which is why we invite everyone in the Indian gastronomic community to nominate an inspiring chef who can claim concrete achievements beyond the kitchen," he added.

An interdisciplinary jury made up of some of the most influential chefs in the world, together with academics and international experts, select each year's winner - a chef whose work embodies the ethos of the prize to transform society through gastronomy.

The winner receives 100,000 euro, which he or she devotes to a project of choice that expresses the transformative power of gastronomy.

"This unique and global award celebrates the scope and potential of gastronomy when chefs around the world make the best use of the knowledge, leadership, entrepreneurial spirit and creativity that sets them apart to generate transformative changes in society," said Bittor Oroz, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Policy in the Basque government.

"Another aim of this prize, awarded within the framework of the Global Strategy for the Basque Country, is that shared values in Basque society - such as the culture of effort, commitment, self-improvement, dedication to innovation and competition, and equal opportunities for women and men - are associated with the image of the Basque Country and become our calling card at an international level," he said.

This year's winning chef will be selected from 10 finalists at an event in San Francisco on July 15, hosted by chef Dominique Crenn, chef of Atelier Crenn in the US.