Chefs Sign-Up to compete in the ACF Hot Food Competition
Chef's Hot Food Competition Application
Our culinary competition is open to all chefs, cooks, bakers and pastry chefs who are members of the American Culinary Federation or work in an ACF House. An ACF House is defined as a food service facility with at least one ACF Active member on its staff.
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
There will be three savory categories plus one cake/torte category. The three savory categories must choose one of the following proteins as the center of the plate for your entry.
SAVORY CATEGORIES
CAKE and TORTE CATEGORY
FOOD PREPARATION
Hot Food and Cake/Torte Categories
Gold and Silver awards will be presented in each of the four categories.
Winners will receive commemorative plaques and cash prizes for their accomplishments.
“Best Display Award”
Gold and Silver awards plus cash prizes to the two top chefs who best use culinary techniques and artistry to represent the evening’s theme. Chefs are encouraged to use ice, sugar, pastry, chocolate, salt dough, tallow, and vegetable/fruit carvings to enhance their presentation.
“Peoples’ Choice Award”
The People’s Choice Award honors the chef who is the public’s favorite. The top vote-getter will receive a trophy and cash prize. Only fully paid guests will receive a ballot. Results will be announced at 7:30 p.m.
AWARDS AND CASH PRIZES
Gold and Silver Awards in Each of the Four Categories
GOLD 1st Place – Plaque & $300
SILVER 2nd Place – Plaque & $200
BEST DISPLAY OF SHOW
1st Place $300 and Four Post Trophy
2nd Place $200 and Three Post Trophy
All Event Judges Vote in This Category
PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD
$300 and Four Post Trophy
(Only Paid Guests Receive a Ballot)
All Competing Chefs and Assistants will Receive a Commemorative Medal with Neck Ribbon
Custom Designed for Our Event
A Culinary Salute to Renaissance
Monday, February10, 2025
Chef’s Name: __________________________________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________________________________
City: ______________________________________________ZIP: _______________________
Cell Phone: ___________________________ ACF # __________________________________
E-mail ________________________________________________________________________
Place of Employment: ______________________________________City__________________
Recipe Name for Program:________________________________________________________
Name of Assistant #1 ____________________________________________________________
Name of Assistant #2 ____________________________________________________________
Category: ___Chicken ___Shrimp ___Pork ___Cake / Torte
Email to:
Denise Fahrenbruch CCC, CCE
℅ ACF Hot Food Competition
Recipe Name and Application must be emailed to Chef Fahrenbruch.
Submit them as a Word Doc or a PDF.
Category slots are awarded on a first-come basis.
Applications must be 100% complete to be considered.
Email: [email protected] Questions Cell: 989-397-7642
There will be three savory categories plus one cake/torte category. The three savory categories must choose one of the following proteins as the center of the plate for your entry.
SAVORY CATEGORIES
- POULTRY – Chicken Breast Fillets, Boneless Skinless, 6.5-7.5 Ounce, Raw
- SEAFOOD –Shrimp, Tiger, Shell-On, Headless, 31-40 Count per Pound, Raw, IQF
- PORK – Pork Butts, Boneless, 8.5 Pound Average
CAKE and TORTE CATEGORY
- Competitors will present their cakes and tortes for judging by a panel of judges and pastry chefs.
- The judging criteria will include taste, texture, creativity, presentation, and overall impression
- There is an entry application form at the end of this packet. Please fill in all the information including a phone number, preferably a cell phone number where you can easily be reached.
- There is no entry fee required for competing chefs from an ACF House. ACF membership and sponsor support cover the cost of your entry. Your only out-of-pocket expenses will be the side dishes you may want to add to your presentation to enhance your entry and your table display.
- Disposable plates, napkins, and knives/forks/spoons will be provided for your samples to be served to the public.
- All competing chefs are responsible for their own equipment – knives, chafers, Sterno, cutting boards, etc. Don’t forget power strips and EXTENSION CORDS.
- Each competing chef is limited to Two ASSISTANTS to set up displays and get food ready for judging.
- A maximum of three wristbands will be issued to each competing team, one for the competing chef and one or two for the chef’s assistant(s). All other chef’s helpers must purchase admission.
- By entering our competition, you agree to allow the ACF to use photos, videos, and recipes without further compensation or notice.
FOOD PREPARATION
- Culinary Art Institute of Mott Community College will be the pick-up location for your proteins. You will be notified about one week in advance concerning when products will be available for pick-up. Contact Chef Denise Fahrenbruch at 989-397-7642 for pick up date and time.
- Competing chefs will be required to produce three small single-serving plates of their recipe for the judges to taste and one plated serving to be displayed and garnished on their table in the same manner as you would for service in your food service facility.
- Chefs will also be required to prepare their recipe to yield 400-500 one- or two-ounce tasting portions for our paying guests. Keep in mind that the tasting samples should be one or two bites and that the sample will be served on a disposable foam plate, with disposable plastic flatware to cut and eat the sample while standing.
- All competing chefs and their helpers must abide by the Michigan Department of Public Health guidelines – hot food hot/ and cold food/cold, use of gloves, hair restraints, etc. Failure to maintain temperatures will disqualify a competing chef.
- Limited kitchen space is available at Bavarian Inn Lodge on the day of the competition. We recommend that you do most, if not all, of your cooking off-premises before arriving at Bavarian Inn Lodge. Oven and warmer spaces are available on a “first come – first serve” basis. Call Chef Jason Wellnitz at 989 652-7200 if you need to use kitchen facilities. DEEP-FAT FRYERS ARE NOT ALLOWED IN THE DINING ROOMS – FRYERS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE KITCHEN AREA.
- The Bavarian Inn Lodge kitchen staff will not cook, prepare, or assist chefs with any of the food that is being judged or used as samples to the public.
- Chefs who do not have judge's plates ready by 4:00 pm will not be judged and will be disqualified from the People’s Choice award.
- All competing chefs are responsible for cleaning up their kitchen work area and dining room display area after the event.
- WE ENCOURAGE COMPETING CHEFS TO DECORATE THEIR TABLE BASED ON THE EVENING’S THEME – Renaissance – “Huzzah and Cheers”
- Bavarian Inn Lodge will provide each chef with one 8-foot table – draped in white skirting. Chefs may add or subtract from this linen set-up or opt to use their own skirting. No additional front table may be added to the display. A worktable or prep cart may be used, but these must be positioned behind your front table/main display table.
- Bavarian Inn Lodge dining rooms will be available for set-up at 1 p.m. on the date of the competition. The exact location of each chef’s table is determined by “luck of the draw” which will take place one week before the competition.
- ACF judging officials reserve the right to ask competing chefs to modify their displays to conform to fire, health, or safety codes. No umbrella or canopy tent-like structures, open flame tiki torches, or charcoal-fired grills will be allowed in the dining rooms due to smoke and fire concerns.
- All chefs and their helpers must wear double-breasted chef jackets of any color and toques. No baseball-style caps.
- Competing chefs are encouraged to promote their places of employment once the judging is completed and the public enters the dining rooms. While judging, however, all references to your operation must be covered to allow for fair and unbiased “blind judging.”
- The ACF Hot Food Competition organizing committee will select qualified judges. A minimum of one ACF Certified Chef will be assigned to each category. Judging panels may also include local celebrity foodie judges. A minimum of three judges will be assigned to each of the categories.
- The decision of the judges is final.
- Judging will be based on modified ACF hot food guidelines. Taste, texture, flavor, eye appeal, practicality, and nutritional balance are all considerations. A judging form is enclosed with this packet of information.
- Judging begins promptly at 4:00 p.m. Be prepared when the judges call for competing chefs to leave the dining rooms. The Loading Dock of the Bavarian Inn Lodge will be set aside for competing chefs and assistants to gather and relax during judging.
- Only judges and ACF event officials are allowed access to the dining rooms during judging. Once all judging panels have finished judging, competing chefs and assistants will be allowed back into the dining room at 5pm for any last-minute finishing touches and to prepare for the Public to be let into the room.
- Upon completion of the tabulation of scores, awards will be announced at 7:00 p.m.
- In the event of a tie in any of the food categories, Best Display Awards, and People’s Choice Awards, the individual display plate score will be used as the tiebreaker. The decision of the judges is final.
Hot Food and Cake/Torte Categories
Gold and Silver awards will be presented in each of the four categories.
Winners will receive commemorative plaques and cash prizes for their accomplishments.
“Best Display Award”
Gold and Silver awards plus cash prizes to the two top chefs who best use culinary techniques and artistry to represent the evening’s theme. Chefs are encouraged to use ice, sugar, pastry, chocolate, salt dough, tallow, and vegetable/fruit carvings to enhance their presentation.
“Peoples’ Choice Award”
The People’s Choice Award honors the chef who is the public’s favorite. The top vote-getter will receive a trophy and cash prize. Only fully paid guests will receive a ballot. Results will be announced at 7:30 p.m.
AWARDS AND CASH PRIZES
Gold and Silver Awards in Each of the Four Categories
GOLD 1st Place – Plaque & $300
SILVER 2nd Place – Plaque & $200
BEST DISPLAY OF SHOW
1st Place $300 and Four Post Trophy
2nd Place $200 and Three Post Trophy
All Event Judges Vote in This Category
PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD
$300 and Four Post Trophy
(Only Paid Guests Receive a Ballot)
All Competing Chefs and Assistants will Receive a Commemorative Medal with Neck Ribbon
Custom Designed for Our Event
A Culinary Salute to Renaissance
Monday, February10, 2025
Chef’s Name: __________________________________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________________________________
City: ______________________________________________ZIP: _______________________
Cell Phone: ___________________________ ACF # __________________________________
E-mail ________________________________________________________________________
Place of Employment: ______________________________________City__________________
Recipe Name for Program:________________________________________________________
Name of Assistant #1 ____________________________________________________________
Name of Assistant #2 ____________________________________________________________
Category: ___Chicken ___Shrimp ___Pork ___Cake / Torte
Email to:
Denise Fahrenbruch CCC, CCE
℅ ACF Hot Food Competition
Recipe Name and Application must be emailed to Chef Fahrenbruch.
Submit them as a Word Doc or a PDF.
Category slots are awarded on a first-come basis.
Applications must be 100% complete to be considered.
Email: [email protected] Questions Cell: 989-397-7642