CHEF XPRESS (Cooking Competition) OBJECTIVES 1. Encourage students to enhance their skills and knowledge in food preparation and cooking; 2. Increase students’ awareness of the importance in being strategic, accurate and precise; and 3. Identify and recognize students who exhibit exemplary knowledge and skill in food preparation and cooking. THE COMPETITION The competition is a battle of culinary skills and strategies of competing teams challenged to prepare and cook three (3) A la Carte dishes: appetizer, entrée or main course, and dessert for two (2) persons within three (3) hours. THE COMPETING TEAM Each school is entitled to send one team composed of three (3) entrants enrolled in HRS, HRA or HRM program at any year level. THE BOARD OF JUDGES (BOJ) The Board of Judges shall be composed of three (3) members who will convene to determine the winners. Members of the BOJ are professionals with good reputation in Food Service, Culinary Arts, and other related fields. REQUIREMENTS & PROVISIONS 1. The participants shall provide and bring in their own ingredients for their recipes. 2. The participants are required to provide their own plain white dinnerware in any size and shape. They shall also provide for their own tools, utensils, knives, pots, pans, small electrical or mechanical tools, and any other special equipment. 3. All competitors must wear their chef’s uniform. Each team must provide at least three (3) plain white kitchen towels. 4. The participants will only be provided with two (2) gas burners per team and may share a common oven, water line, water dispenser and refrigerator. Chef Xpress © STI Headquarters Page 1 of 3 MECHANICS Prior to the Competition 1. The main ingredients for the A la Carte dishes are bangus (milkfish) and/or mango. Any of these must strictly be made part of all the three (3) dishes. Participants are encouraged to strategize based on the required main ingredient/s. 2. Accurate and clear recipes of the three (3) dishes must be written in the Recipe Form (Attachment F). These should also include the title and brief description of each of the dishes. The softcopies of the Recipe forms should be submitted to the Student Development and Placement Services, STI Headquarters on or before January 6, 2011, Thursday. A penalty of five (5) points will be deducted from the average score for every recipe that is not submitted on time and/or with incomplete information. Actual Competition 1. Before the competition starts, the committee will ensure that only those items listed in the three (3) submitted Recipe Forms have been brought in. 2. A team who brings in any pre-cooked item will be disqualified. 3. All preparation and cooking of dishes including garnishes must be entirely made and crafted on-the-spot. 4. The participants should only use plain white dinnerware in any size and shape. Failure to do so would mean a five (5) point deduction from the average score. 5. All the dishes shall be plated individually for competition purposes. Each team should have two plates for each dish; one for display and one for tasting. This will mean a total of six (6) plates for each team. 6. The participants will be given a total of three (3) hours broken down into the following segments: Segment Time Details Segment 1 Segment 2 Segment 3 First 30 minutes 1 hour 1 hour Mise en Place Preparation, Cooking, Plating & Final Touch Segment 4 30 minutes Clean up and organization of the competition area Chef Xpress © STI Headquarters Dish/es to be served and displayed at the end of each segment Appetizer Entrée or main course and dessert Page 2 of 3 NOTE: The appetizer dish should be served after one and a half (1 1/2) hours from the start of the competition. Entrée or main course and dessert dishes must be served an hour thereafter. 7. The kitchen area is off-limits to all except for the participants, judges and committee members during the competition proper. Coaching is prohibited. 8. Going beyond the allotted time would incur a penalty of one (1) point per minute or a fraction thereof. The same penalty will also be applied should a participant fail to serve the dishes on time. The penalty will be subtracted from the average score. JUDGING CRITERIA Mise en Place Prepares the ingredients, materials and/or equipment to be used in an orderly manner and employs accurate techniques for the punctual completion of work. Note that this includes the uniform cutting or trimming of vegetables and other ingredients. Sanitation and Hygiene Ensures the sanitary and hygienic handling of food during preparation, cooking and tasting. This includes the management of working area and clothes. Appropriateness of Dishes Presents complementary dishes (appetizer, entrée or main dish and dessert go well together) with proper portioning. Serving Methods Arranges dishes on plates in a neat and artful manner with an aim of whetting one’s appetite. No or minimal non edible items should be on the plates. Palatability Prepares dishes that have a well-balanced taste. The dish should have no particular flavor that is overpowering. TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS Chef Xpress © STI Headquarters 0-10 points 0-10 points 0-15 points 0-25 points 0-40 points 0-100 points Page 3 of 3