I just stumbled onto this by pure accident (sometimes, spending too much time just surfing the web does lead to serendipitous discoveries). Basque Stage is part project, part contest, with the goal of teaming up young chefs with world-renowned chef Martin Berasategui, owner of his signature restaurant in Lasarte-Oria, Gipuzkoa. Basque Stage will award two scholarships for young people to journey to the Basque Country and learn from Berasategui. If you are into cooking, sounds like a marvelous opportunity.
Basque Stage has a channel on the video site vimeo, where they share recipes for things like kokotxas and bizcocho. Two students are at Berasategui’s restaurant right now, learning from him and sharing what they learn for the rest of us to see. The two students are Athena Thickstun and Tracy Chang. They are also blogging about their experiences in the Basque Country, Spain, and France — links can be found on the Basque Stage site. The next two students, who will start this July, have already been identified, Marco Bahena and Cameron Rolka. But, it looks like this is an ongoing effort, so you still have your chance.
The project is sponsored by Sammic, a company in Gipuzkoa that produces equipment for the food industry.
