The two winning students have the opportunity to follow the same path as Mosimann, setting out as young winners of Toque d’Or and hoping to progress to be as influential and respected as he is today.
Nestlé Toque d’Or 2013, which is now open for entries, promises to be the biggest and best in the competition’s history.
The competition has been designed to test students’ skills to the full, offering exposure to the industry across a diverse range of scenarios and helping build students’ life-skills and careers.
Colleges are now being asked to register their interest for 2013 and to start choosing their team of two students; one chef and one front of house.
For the first time in the competition’s history, colleges are now able to enter up to three teams, in a move that is designed to expose a greater number of students to the benefits of the competition.
Neil Stephens, managing director of Nestlé Professional said: “This is a landmark year for Nestlé Toque d’Or, marking a quarter of a century of our commitment to inspiring careers within the hospitality industry.
“We’ve got exciting plans afoot and exciting changes which we’ll be announcing over the coming months.”
Mosimann himself said: “When I won this award, I was extremely honoured; it really motivated me to do even better.
“This is a fantastic industry and I am extremely fortunate to have found a career that I love as much today as I did when I started out as a young apprentice.
“Young people are the lifeblood of the hospitality industry and those of us who are established have a responsibility to motivate and support the next generation and encourage them on a career path that we have found so inspiring and rewarding.”
The Nestlé Toque d’Or heats will launch at the Hospitality Show in January and continue with a programme of regional heats throughout February, ending at ScotHot in March. Eight teams will then be selected to compete in the Grand Finals in May.
For more information or to enter, visit www.nestle-toquedor.co.uk.