Culinary Competition
Culinary Competition
Special Acknowledgement:
This manual had been completed thanks in part to the commitment and
funding provided by the Multilateral Investment Fund and the Inter-
American Development Bank through the Caribbean Tourism
Credentialing Program, This program recognizes Human Resources in the
Caribbean as the most important asset of regional Tourism, by investing
in its development and professionalization.
Table of Contents
Introduction ……..……………………………………………………………………… 1
Participants ……………………………………………………………………………… 4
Budget ……………………………….……………………………………………………. 10
iii
iv Table of Contents
Appendix …………………..…………………………………………………………….. 17
HOW TO CONDUCT A CULINARY COMPETITION
I. Introduction
The Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) in its mission to improve, develop, and promote the
Food & Beverage sector in the Caribbean Region has prepared this manual to help any
organization that wishes to organize a high-standard food & beverage competition.
Except for the rules and scoring system, CHA encourages creativity in the process of
designing an event. Although conceived principally for hospitality establishments in Caribbean
destinations, this manual can serve as reference for other types of organizations and
establishments, and other regions of the world.
Caribbean Cuisine is a rich mixture of flavors, colors, textures and aromas that has a distinct
character and is as unique as the Caribbean Region and the various destinations the Region
comprehends. Culinary competitions constitute a perfect vehicle to foster the evolution of
the food & beverage sector. They also represent a unique opportunity to learn from other
countries and colleagues. More importantly, these competitions contribute to showcase
cuisine as a vehicle to promote the better understanding of regional residents and visitors.
a) Provide a forum for food & beverage professional to obtain recognition for their
performance.
b) Serve as platform for culinary research & development.
c) Encourage participants to continue polishing their professional skills
d) Stimulate and promote the incorporation of local or specific ingredients to the
culinary product.
e) Select a group of outstanding professionals to serve as representatives for
promotional or competitive ventures.
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HOW TO CONDUCT A CULINARY COMPETITION
National Competition
Sub-Regional Competition
Sub-regional competitions can become the qualifiers for the Regional competition for Private
Teams, and also a perfect opportunity to select team members for national teams, when no
national competitions are held.
Regional Competition
The competition at the regional level has an extra degree of excitement and an increased
level of competitiveness due to the larger number of participants.
The competition can be held using one or two categories as qualified competitors:
• Private Teams
Mystery Basket
In this format, the list of available ingredients to produce the dishes or menus is provided to
competitors on site, right at the beginning of the competition. Whilst this format does not
provide participants with an opportunity to practice their performance, the need to develop a
working plan with little anticipation serves to challenge and demonstrate the participant’s
creativity, and constitutes a tougher testing of his/her culinary or bartending skills. The
competition’s organizers are entirely responsible for supplying the ingredients in the mystery
basket.
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Pre-Planned Menu
This format allows competitors to prepare and practice in advance, which enables them to
polish their skills and improve their performance.
• Participants submit a list of ingredients to organizers, and the latter are responsible for
securing these. The disadvantage of this procedure is that organizers are not always
capable of finding all ingredients, not to mention the time and energy they have to
dedicate to this exercise, and the higher cost associated to it.
• Competitors are entirely responsible for securing their ingredients. In such case,
organizers can indicate places or suppliers, which competitors can contact to purchase
required ingredients to be obtained on-site (in the case of regional competitions.)
V. Planning Committee
The planning or steering committee is formed by a group of volunteers and administrative
staff that provide continuity and guidance to the event’s organization. This group shall meet
or communicate on a regular basis and work on aspects such as:
• Culinary matters
• Selection of judges
• Fund-raising
• Complementary activities (such as social and educational)
• Promotional activities
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VI. Participants
In the past, the kitchen had been the focus of culinary competitions, with bar as an addition
to the total competition. Today, food development has been significantly refined, and
increasingly discerning customers regard the culinary as a comprehensive experience.
Therefore, equal attention should be paid to the service component, which has resulted in
the incorporation of the waiter service as one of the participating categories. Depending on
the nature of the competition, judges will rate either individual performers or teams of food &
beverage professionals. Whether individual or collective, positions to be judged shall include
the following positions and recommended qualifiers:
Pastry Chef
A Pastry Chef qualified professional with a minimum of 3 years of experience, or Chef in
kitchen with a minimum of 5 years of experience one-year minimum of destination / regional
experience and previous food competition experience.
Waiter
A Service professional with a minimum of 2 years-experiences in a national or regional
establishment.
Bartender
A service or bar professional with a minimum of 2 years experience in a national or regional
establishment.
Apprentice chef
Apprentice chef enrolled in a recognized program in the region or a national employed in a
regional establishment for three-year maximum.
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HOW TO CONDUCT A CULINARY COMPETITION
Suggested Rules
• Chef(s) & Apprentice(s) will have access to station or kitchen. Stations can have two-
three 8 ft. tables covered with waterproof cover. 3 cutting boards, 4 burner stoves, 2
trash containers one for trash, one for food surplus. 3½ to 4 hours preparation will be
available, and the end of which the first course must be served. 20 minutes after the 2nd
course will be served. 20 minutes after the desserts will be served. The time will be
checked at the beginning of the service time at 3 ½ - 4 hours. At the end of service, a
further 15 minutes will be available for cleaning and final kitchen judge’s inspection.
• Pastry Chef(s) will have 4 hours for the production and display of the items. A baking
oven, working tables, mixer, and refrigerator 40F Freezer at 30F and baking sheets should
be available.
• Service Professional(s) will have a total of 1 hour to set 1 table of 4 complete and set
the service miss en place. 15 minutes before service, guests are to be seated. Service
will be judged to 45 minutes after desserts are served. Coffee and after-dinner liquors are
required. Service shall include table serving, and, if appropriate, also wine
recommendations.
• Bartender(s) have 10 minutes to set their stations and have 30 minutes to prepare 3
drinks, two alcoholic, and one non-alcoholic: one rum-Based, one vodka, and one non-
alcoholic fruit or vegetable-based.
Please note that participants must receive clear indications as of whether they need to bring
their utensils, china, and others, or whether these would be secured by organizers.
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Teams:
Chef Apprentice
Menu Presentation and Execution 15 pts. Menu Presentation and Execution 15 pts.
Sanitation 5 Sanitation 5
Organization1 and Leadership 5 Organization and Support 5
Service expedience 5 Service support 5
Presentation2 10 Presentation 10
Use of specified ingredients 25 Use of specified ingredients 25
(common scores w/apprentice) (common scores w/chef)
Professional skills 3 10 Professional skills 10
Taste and texture 4 Taste and texture
(common scores w/apprentice) 25 (common scores w/chef) 25
Bartender
Recipe Presentation and 25 pts.
Execution
Use of specified ingredients 15
Professional skills 15
Taste and Texture 25
Organization and workflow 10
Creativity and presentation 10
TOTAL: 100
1
Considers work flow timing and follow up.
2
Considers exactness, quality, creativity, quantity, consistency, uniformity, portion size.
3
Creativity, knowledge of culinary skills, and fundamentals, uniformity, knife skills, proper use of
ingredients, display of various techniques.
4
Flavor, texture, ingredient compatibility, nutritional balance, right temperature.
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HOW TO CONDUCT A CULINARY COMPETITION
X. Jury Selection
Jury selection is an important component of competitions as the experience and quality of
the judge is of critical relevance to encouraging performance improvement and excellence
standards.
Jury must be integrated by an ideal ratio of 1 judge to every 10 competitors, and each
should have appropriate experience in the areas to be rated.
Competition Briefing
Judges must meet with participants prior to the beginning of the competition and provide
them with a clear and detailed explanation of the competition rules, and clarify any doubts
participants may have.
Debriefing Session
Judges Report
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Trade Show
It is important that proper programming is maintained so that trade show and competition do
not interfere or compete among each other.
The inclusion of workshops and seminars, in all areas of food and beverage, will also work to
attract participants and general public. Workshops and seminars also provide an opportunity
for sponsorships. The target public of the event will determine the nature of the workshops
and seminars:
• For professionals:
Should be focused on polishing their skills (professional and administrative.) Purchasing
opportunities can be provided by foodservice and wine & spirits suppliers.
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XII. Budget
Preparing budgetary guidelines and carefully following these is of pivotal importance to the
event’s financial success. These guidelines must consider items, such as:
Income Expenses
• Sponsorship • Trade Show set-up
• Day Passes • Traveling Expenditures
• Registration Fees • Food Cost
• Accommodation Commission • Printed material: program, certificates,
• Ad Sales menus, etc.
• Sales Commissions • Awards (medals, trophies, cash prizes)
• Others
• Event Production (decoration, a/v,
lighting, etc.)
• Judges and Speakers expenditures
(Traveling, transportation,
accommodation, meals, and others)
• Communications (phone, fax, E-Mail,
etc.)
• Badges
• Meeting space rental
• Uniforms
• Transportation
• Others
In planning a culinary competition there are certain important factors, which relate to the
successful staging of the competition. These include:
• Location of the final competition
• Accessibility of the chosen location
• Space and size of the area
• Availability of adequate storage facilities
table. Finally there should be a private room or area for judging, preferably away from
the general public eye.
b. Storage
The need for adequate storage area is important to accommodate the Chefs supply of
perishable and non-perishable items i.e. chill rooms and freezers.
c. Accessibility
This chosen site should be easily accessible both to the competitors and the general
public (when open to the latter,) in terms of transport (air, land, or sea.) Teams
should be comfortable and the perception of neutrality is important.
Seeking Support
a. Government support
• Tourist Boards
• Agricultural, and other related offices
• Import/Export agencies
• Financial and funding institutions
For the government, culinary competitions are an excellent marketing tool. They
expose, unearth and work to bring forth the culinary styles of any particular region.
Culinary delights are also becoming an added attraction and an incentive to any
destination, thus the destination’s tourism product will be greatly enhanced. Sectors
such as the agricultural, with products such as vegetables, fruits, poultry, beef and
seafood, can benefit.
b. Educational Institutions
These may also gain from exposing developments of hospitality services, a key to any
hospitality training and educational institutions. The endorsement of hospitality
training institutions is a definite plus.
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HOW TO CONDUCT A CULINARY COMPETITION
Once a budget is outlined, it should be put forward from the earliest planning stages. Target
Sponsors should be identified and presented with proposals. These may include:
• Support industries
Like gas, chemical suppliers and manufacturers, equipment suppliers and manufacturers
etc.
A proper proposal should be carefully prepared and submitted to the sponsors. It is important
to bear in mind that submitting sponsorship proposals early in the prospective sponsor’s
financial year, will increase the possibilities the sponsorship proposal will have to obtain a
favorable response. Some of the aspects sponsorship proposals should include are:
a. The proposed format for the event.
b. Sponsorship benefits:
• Specific exposure
• Networking opportunities
• Business advantages
• Promotional benefits
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HOW TO CONDUCT A CULINARY COMPETITION
Once the event is packaged and all of the information is compiled into promotional pieces,
the task of selling the event starts. Sponsors, competitors, general public, culinary and hotel
associations, exhibitors (when applicable,) government, and media are among the most
important target publics.
Participants are the main target. Most efforts have to be directed to the chefs, commis and
service professionals as well as to the professional associations they belong to, and the
institutions in which they are employed. It is equally important to motivate competitors and
their employers, as this will result in a greater support. Some of the motivating factors
include:
• Accreditation
• Professional Exposure
• The Competitive Spirit
• Cash Incentives
• Professional recognition and image
• Publicity
All materials directed to the participants should firstly highlight the credibility of the event.
The professional standards (such as judging formats, competition criteria, jury, etc.) must
also be clearly outlined.
General Public
Showcasing the event is again important both to the organizers and the participants. The
public participation serves to create a background and can become a revenue source.
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HOW TO CONDUCT A CULINARY COMPETITION
• The layout of the chosen site is key; things cannot be too spread out. Proper
programming and concentrated access will ensure that there is a comfortable flow for
both participants and public.
⇒ Final floor plan must be discussed and decided with planning committee.
⇒ The placement of theme decor e.g. banners, sponsor publicity, plants, and
others must be carefully planned and decided by planning committee.
⇒ Cook off stations must be visible and easily accessible to both participants and
public.
• Judging facilities must provide a private area for discussions and judging sheet
preparation.
• The positioning of the trade show booths must be strategic and provide for a good flow
of people without excluding from the cook off stations.
• Registration, reception and information area must be accessible and staffed with a team
that can provide timely and accurate assistance to all attendees.
• All staff must be properly briefed and able to provide information and answer questions
from all attendants. Staff should include:
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HOW TO CONDUCT A CULINARY COMPETITION
• In house briefed professional photographers and video technicians. This will provide for
the audiovisual presentation at the awards ceremony and for records for the organizers.
• Clear, well placed signs and highlighted program outline at the entrance to facilities.
• Judges kits complete with accurate sheets. Event coordinator should conduct note
judges brief.
• Participants
• Judges
• Sponsors
• Hosts
Audiovisuals are to be used in a way that ensures a smooth flow and a dynamic presentation.
The master of ceremonies/compere should also be dynamic clear and concise. The event
should flow to a peak and end on a high note; this again, is possible with proper
programming. The main address and awards handout should be as short as possible as well as
the expressions of gratitude. Keep in mind that this is when chefs show their moment of
glory.
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HOW TO CONDUCT A CULINARY COMPETITION
Promotional efforts should be developed to keep each of the target publics informed of event
developments.
• Competitors
• Winners
• Judges
• Sponsors
• General Public
The winners have to be reassured of what they have achieved and that their skills have been
properly displayed. Recognitions should be given and reference made to the winners at every
possible instance.
Sponsors should not be left hanging, there is a definite need for continuous work with them
and a team should be created to do so. This is also a good opportunity to maximize the
sponsors’ exposure by recognizing their contribution to the event. Networking is key.
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HOW TO CONDUCT A CULINARY COMPETITION
Appendix
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HOW TO CONDUCT A CULINARY COMPETITION
FORM A (summary)
APPLICATION SUMMARY
Chef: ___________________________________
Address: ___________________________________
Phone: ___________________________________
______________________________________________________
Address: _____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
Phone: ( ) ____________
Fax: ( ) ____________
E-mail: _____________________________________________
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HOW TO CONDUCT A CULINARY COMPETITION
FORM A1
CHEF’S APPLICATION
Chef: ___________________________________
Address: ___________________________________
Phone: ___________________________________
______________________________________________________
Address: _____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
Phone: ( ) ____________
Fax: ( ) ____________
E-mail: _____________________________________________
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HOW TO CONDUCT A CULINARY COMPETITION
FORM A2
APPRENTICE APPLICATION
Chef: ___________________________________
Address: ___________________________________
Phone: ___________________________________
______________________________________________________
Address: _____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
Phone: ( ) ____________
Fax: ( ) ____________
E-mail: _____________________________________________
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HOW TO CONDUCT A CULINARY COMPETITION
FORM A3
Chef: ___________________________________
Address: ___________________________________
Phone: ___________________________________
______________________________________________________
Address: _____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
Phone: ( ) ____________
Fax: ( ) ____________
E-mail: _____________________________________________
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HOW TO CONDUCT A CULINARY COMPETITION
FORM S1
SERVICE FLOW
Equipment:
______________________________________________________________
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________________________________________________
Service Description:
______________________________________________________________
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HOW TO CONDUCT A CULINARY COMPETITION
FORM C1
First Course
Portions: ______________
Ingredients: Quantity:
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Method:
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HOW TO CONDUCT A CULINARY COMPETITION
FORM C2
Main Course
Portions: ______________
Ingredients: Quantity:
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Method:
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HOW TO CONDUCT A CULINARY COMPETITION
FORM C3
Dessert
Portions: ______________
Ingredients: Quantity:
_______________________ ______________
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Method:
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HOW TO CONDUCT A CULINARY COMPETITION
FORM P1
Portions: ______________
Ingredients: Quantity:
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Method:
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HOW TO CONDUCT A CULINARY COMPETITION
FORM P2
Portions: ______________
Ingredients: Quantity:
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Method:
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_____________________ ____________
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HOW TO CONDUCT A CULINARY COMPETITION
FORM B1
BARTENDER
Rum Cocktail
Method:
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Bartender: Team:
_________________ __________________
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HOW TO CONDUCT A CULINARY COMPETITION
FORM B2
BARTENDER
Method:
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Bartender: Team:
_________________ __________________
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HOW TO CONDUCT A CULINARY COMPETITION
FORM B3
BARTENDER
Method:
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Bartender: Team:
_________________ __________________
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Caribbean Hotel Association
1000 Ponce de Leon Avenue, 5th Floor
San Juan, Puerto Rico, 00907-3632
Tel: 787-725-9139 Fax: 787-725-9108
The Caribbean Hotel Association.
All rights reserved 2003