Culinary Competition

Basics:• Teams of 2-4 students plus 1 alternate• Students will cook on two portable butane burners• No electric powered equipment is allowed (except

battery timers, clock, thermometers and digital scales)

• Teams will provide all pots, pans, smallwares, side towels, etc.

Scoring

• A maximum of 105 points can be earned by a team during the culinary competition.

• In case of a tie: The teams that have tied will each be interviewed by a panel of judges and the culinary competition coordinator.

Menu

3 courses: • Starter: salad or appetizer

• Entrée with starch, vegetable, and protein

• Dessert

Heat Sources• Two butane burners, NEW - 15,000 BTU Burners are bring used.

• A butane torch may be used for the purpose of finishing any item, sweet or savory. The torch is only allowed to be used for the purpose of caramelizing or browning the surface of the item, not to cook the item.

• No other fueled or mechanical heat sources will be allowed.

• The use of metal, stone or other types of plates or apparatus to extend the cooking surface of the burners by extending between and covering both burners simultaneously is not allowed.

Dishes

• Teams will be issued the dishes they ordered at product check-in

• It is the team’s responsibility to check their dishes against their order.

Areas to be evaluated

• Shipping and receiving• Knife Skills• Poultry Fabrication • Team Presentation / Work Skills / Organization• Safety and Sanitation• Product Taste / Finished Product• Menu and Recipe Presentation

Shipping + Receiving

• Five soft bound or plain file folders with the school name clearly shown on each cover and each containing a copy of the menu with prices, plate photographs, recipes and food costing will be given to the judges at Product Check-in.

• Consider: – Temperature of potentially hazardous foods– Cross contamination– Moisture– Heat/cold– Leakage– Crushing

Knife Skills

• 5% of overall score • Average of 2 competitors / randomly assigned.• Consider: consistency, accuracy, safety and waste• Team selects 4 of 6 cuts• Present printed list of selected cuts to judge• Judges randomly selects two competitors to cuts• Product cut must be utilized in menu preparation• No further alteration of product is allowed• No exact amount – enough to judge

Poultry Fabrication

• Judges randomly select two competitors from team to fabricate poultry– NOTE: Should the team have three members, one will

be selected to fabricate and two to do knife skills. Should the team have two members one will fabricate and one will do knife skills.

• Each selected competitor will fabricate one chicken into the

ProStart standard 8 piece bone-in cut with long back removed (Refer to Foundations of Restaurant Management & Culinary Arts Level 2, Chapter 6, pages 383-384)

• Finished chicken pieces can be used by the team - or not

Poultry Fabrication

Do not debone

Train students to properly separate jointsCut cartilage not bone

Train students to work cleanly, leaving skin

intact

http://www.goprostart.com/training.html

Team Presentation / Work Skills / Organization

Proper cooking procedures • Appropriate for:

– Product– Time– Location

• Application/mastery• Use of a minimum of two: Poach, Shallow

Poach, Braise, Pan Fry, Steam and Sauté Please refer to See Foundations of Restaurant Management & Culinary Arts Level 1, Chapter 5; Becoming a Restaurant and Foodservice Professional Year 1 pg. 212-13 and ProStart Year 1, Chapter 4, and Section 3

Team Presentation / Work Skills / Organization

Use of knife cut product• Product cut in knife skills must be used as cut, no

further fabrication of the product is allowed

Total use of product consider:• Starts with menu, waste, use of by product

Proper use of equipment and tools consider:• Appropriate for: product, time, location• Application/mastery

Team Presentation / Work Skills / Organization

Use proper size pan for task

Use pans and other vessels appropriately

Use proper tools

Use tools correctly

Team Presentation / Work Skills / Organization

Have a team plan

Master skills required for individual tasks

Have everyone contribute and work

Communicate!

Be and act as the professionals you wish to be

Practice and perform proper time management

Safety + Sanitation

Consider:Personal Hygiene

Overall CleanlinessSafety

Control:Time

Temperature Contamination

Product Taste / Finished Product

Flavor = 40% of Overall ScoreConsider

Is it apparent that they achieved: fully developed flavors carefully built flavors resulting in clarity not confusion encouraged appreciation of the various flavors harmony of flavors amidst diversity utilization of aroma, as well as, taste in development of flavor the patience to reach the ultimate flavor in their dish

Product Taste

Consider Did they:

apply heat, not just cook consider carry over cooking go for quality not quantity Go for quality not flash Let the ingredients get married, not just live

together!

Finished Product

Level of difficulty Define difficulty as increasingly greater demand

for exact execution of basic skills and inclusion of a greater number of

basic skills to achieve the end result. Key on skills not intricacy or exotic

Finished Product

Consider this prime question:

“Did the plate presentation enhance the appeal of the food?”

ArrangementPlate Size

ColorsShapes

Textures

Menu + Recipe Presentation

The Physical Menu and Recipe Professional quality printing and presentation for menu Appropriate recipe structure Correct food costing and menu price calculation

(33% food cost / maximum of $75.00 menu price) Source and acknowledgements listed Aggregate price for each course Carefully review rules Absolutely no typos: check it!

Disqualification

Did not attend pre-meeting Team received coaching of any kind during the event Use of electric or battery powered equipment Use of additional burner Team did not produce two complete meals Team starts more than 10 minutes early, or finishes

Meal Preparation more than 10 minutes late

Penalties Station left in unsanitary manner 3 pts Finishing late – ¼ point per 15 seconds up to 10

pts After 10 minutes team is disqualified Starting early - 1 point per minute. 1-10

pts After 10 minutes team is disqualified Use of pre-prepared ingredients 5 pts Two meals not identical 2 pts Use of unauthorized dishes/glassware 5 pts Failure to submit folders at check-in 2 pts Replacement product did not meet requirements 3 pts. Failure to us knife cuts in final plates 2 pts

Top Rule Deductions

• Product check inSolution: properly label all items, complete lists inside and outside on coolers and containers, all items listed are present, check temperatures, pack correctly, separate cooler for proteins

• Safety + SanitationSolution: stay aware through-out competition, proper glove use, stay very aware in plate-up, stay clean: station, personally

Top Rule Deductions• Menu

Solution: properly titles menu items, check spelling and math closely and multiple times, make certain packets are complete and nothing extra

• TasteSolution: taste as you prepare, know what product should

taste like, too much or too little salt/seasoning will hurt

• Exceeding Time – many teams go over time! Solution: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!

Timing

The Timer is the Expediter for the Competition

Time: Timer Rules!

Rules: Judges Rule!

Top 10 Things Winning Teams Have Done

1. Practice Time Management

2. Videotape Practice Sessions

3. External Evaluation of Practice Session

Performance

4. Practice Simulates Competition Conditions

5. Perfect Fundamental Skills

Top 10 Things Winning Teams Have Done

6. Don’t Overreach on Skill Level

7. Cross Train Team Members

8. Team Cohesiveness – Sense of Mission

9. Concentrate on Skills and Flavor

10.Purchase Freshest Ingredients Possible

Questions?