The Sunday Times, in association with Foodcorp, is on its annual hunt for South Africa’s sizzling kitchen talent.

Now in its fifth year, the Food Awards celebrate and reward the country’s top chefs, offering the largest prize money in the history of chef competitions in South Africa. The Sunday Times launched the Food Awards in 2007, grasping an ideal opportunity for the newspaper to support an industry that offers opportunity and employment to committed chefs and food innovators.

This is the third year that the Sunday Times has partnered with Foodcorp, the third-largest food company in South Africa and a leading manufacturer of branded products. This partnership remains committed to supporting South Africa’s chefs and food innovators through the Food Awards.

The 2011 competition continues in the expanded four-category format introduced in 2010: Sunday Times Chef of the Year; Sunday Times Young Chef of the Year; the Sunday Times Chef School Challenge; and the Sunday Times Stalwart of the Kitchen.

In each category, entrants are required to submi t a menu reflecting modern South African cuisine, using specified ingredients.

These entries will be judged, and a shortlist of four finalists in each category will be invited to compete in the finals at The 7th Floor, Foodcorp’s Innovation Centre in Cape Town in October.