Eater Is Looking for the Next Guard — Send in Your Young Guns Nominations Today

Today Eater kicks off Young Guns 2015, once again searching for the nation's top young chefs, bartenders, and other food professionals. Whether they're working the line, managing the front of house, shaking cocktails, or kickstarting a restaurant empire, Eater is looking for the best.

The nomination process starts right now, and with so many talented service industry restaurant folks in Atlanta, there shouldn't be a shortage of local candidates. Last year, Holeman & Finch bartender Sarah Justice and Eat Me Speak Me chef Jarrett Stieber made the list of semifinalists.

The criteria are simple. Nominees must be under 30 years of age — or have worked in their field for less than five years — and must be currently employed in the hospitality industry in the United States and Canada. They're not yet household names, but they show extraordinary promise. These kids are working with their heads down and haven't received recognition they deserve.

To find these up-and-comers, we're opening nominations up to the public. Know an amazing young sommelier, a genius baker in the making, or a burgeoning chef? We want to hear about them. We're asking for your input right here. This process will be open through Monday, March 2.

Then, we'll put our heads together with the legends of the industry who agreed to serve on the Young Guns selection committee. The winners will be contacted in May, and the 2015 class will be announced and toasted at a gala event this June.

But first: nominations. Do you know someone in Atlanta, or in another locale, who deserves to be honored as an Eater Young Gun? Fill out the nomination form here; if you have additional supporting materials (anything from Instagram photos of brilliant pop-up menus or pastry porn to local newspaper articles), please send them our way at youngguns@eater.com.