The competition is open to demi chef de partie or commis chefs, within all eight Mint hotels. Each kitchen must enter a team of three chefs. The first round and regional heats are running throughout August. Each City Café will hold a dinner event for 40 local residents, top clients, suppliers and partners. Each evening event will include a three-course meal, with each course produced by a different chef. Following the Star Chef dinner heats, the chef from each hotel with the highest score will progress to one of two regional cook-offs against rival hotels, hosted in Mint Hotel Leeds and Mint Hotel Westminster. The semi-finals will be held at Mint Hotel Westminster on 30 August 2011 and at Mint Hotel Leeds on 31 August 2011. The three overall highest point scorers from the cook-off heats will enter a final dinner heat on Thursday 8 September at Mint Hotel Tower of London, when a winner will be announced. Mint Hotel's group executive chef, Scott Macdonald will judge all heats in the competition, alongside a local food hero and each hotel's general manager. Scott Macdonald, group executive chef at Mint Hotel, said: "The winner will receive a five-day stage at two Michelin-starred restaurant Hibiscus. They will also receive a commemorative Villeroy and Boch plate and their winning dish will feature on the City Café autumn menu. All three finalists will receive a branded and personalised chef jacket." He added: "The competition is a great opportunity to showcase the uncompromising, memorable service of the talented young chefs. Locally-sourced ingredients and seasonal produce will also be on offer to sample at each event." The Mint Hotel brand has seven UK hotels – in London (Westminster and Tower of London), Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, Glasgow - and one international property, Mint Hotel Amsterdam, which opened in June 2011.