Contact information: Damon Holter, info@croixvalleyfoods.com, 612-756-4985 Judy Berg, judy@rfchamber.com, 715-425-2533
River Falls Bacon Bash World Food Championships Super Qualifier Competitor Packet CONGRATULATIONS! You re taking your first steps on the road to the World Food Championships. Welcome to the River Falls Bacon Bash World Food Championships (WFC) Qualifier Event! Across the globe, thousands of competitors will be battling head to head in hundreds of events for the chance to earn their way to the World Food Championships in Orange Beach, Alabama. What is a WFC Super Qualifier? Every homecook, chef and restaurant has an amazing set of recipes in their box. These recipes are showstoppers. They re your ticket to food fame and glory. Now you have a chance to prove it and win $100,000 in cold, hard cash! You will be competing in a culinary competition against possibly dozens of other competitors in each category for a trophy, medal or other prizes, including your Golden Ticket that gives you free entry and qualifications to compete at the WFC Main Event this November. Competitor Packet This document is the official competitor packet for the River Falls Bacon Bash WFC Super Qualifier competition. Please read this document thoroughly as it contains important rules, regulations and information about your upcoming Super Qualifier competition. (WF(Super 4 Categories: Steak Sandwich live Chili Dessert Prizes (each category): 1 st place: Golden Ticket & Free Entry to compete at 2016 WFC, Trophy & up to $750 Travel Stipend. 2 nd & 3 rd place: Golden Ticket to compete at 2016 WFC & Medal. 2015 World Food Champions The Smoking Hills, husband and wife team Loren and Cheryl Hill of Overland Park, KS won with their final BBQ dish. For more information about the 2016 World Food Championships, visit:
Competitor Schedule Schedule may be subject to change. Final schedule will be confirmed via email 48 hours prior to the event. Saturday, September 17 Steak Category Competition 10:00a Final Competitor check-in and set-up 10:50a Begin Steak turn-in 11:00a End Steak turn-in 11:15a Area Clear Sandwich Category 12:00p Final Competitor check-in and set-up 12:50p Begin Sandwich turn-in 1:00p End Sandwich turn-in 1:15p Area Clear Chili Category 2:00p Final Competitor check-in and set-up 2:50p Begin Chili turn-in 3:00p End Chili turn-in 3:15p Area Clear Dessert Category 4:00p Final Competitor check-in and set-up 4:50p Begin Dessert turn-in 5:00p End Dessert turn-in 5:15p Area Clear Awards 6:30p Awards Ceremony on main stage.
Location The River Falls Bacon Bash is an approximate 30 minute drive from the heart of the Twin Cities, located just minutes across the Wisconsin border. Lodging can be found in River Falls and in surrounding communities such as Hudson, WI and the Twin Cities Metro area. Please contact the River Falls Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau for additional information on area accommodations at (715) 425-2533. The River Falls Bacon Bash does not have designated festival parking. Parking takes place on residential streets, as well as numerous free public parking lots throughout the area.
Competition Rules General Rules The Bacon Bash WFC Super Qualifier is a live event food competition where competitors have limited time against a turn-in clock to finalize the preparation of their home-cooked dishes. To be eligible to compete, competitors must register in advance, complete payment and be confirmed to compete. Confirmation of competitors will occur in the form of an email. Total points using the EAT scoring method will determine the event champion. Each competitor will be provided space at the event (with access to electricity, if requested) to finish the preparation of their dishes. All cooking equipment, if needed, will be the sole responsibility of the competitor to provide on their own. Outdoor space for the use of a grill will also be provided, should a competitor request such space. It is the responsibility of each competitor or cooking team to safely execute their preparation within the space(s) provided. Competitors will arrive with a clean space and are expected to fully clean up their spaces once done in advance of the next category competition s start. Competitors (head cooks) may have assistants during the competition period. Assistants are not considered competitors and are not eligible to win. A team, head cook plus assistant(s), MUST fit within the individually designated competition space and may not exceed this area. Head cooks are responsible for the actions of their assistants and may be disqualified for the actions or violations of an assistant. A head cook can have anyone assist them, including competitors from another category, if those competitors want to be a sous chef or assistant, but not in the same category. Additionally, any cooking team (head cook plus assistant) may compete in one, two, three or all four cooking categories. Competitors must arrive and check in to the competition site one hour before the end turn-in time for their category. Contestants arriving after their check in time may be disqualified. To ensure fairness, all cooks must provide an ingredient list and recipe card at the time of check-in. Once the recipe cards are in, teams will be expected to turn in that specific dish. The recipe card must be printed in advance and include: an ingredient list, quantities used and a step-by-step process for creating the dish. Judges will have access to the recipe cards during the judging process to help in determining the Execution portion of the judging proceedures. Competition Turn-ins All competitor s entries are allowed to be created off site, with final preparation and plating to be executed during the time frame listed for the specific category. According to the competition timeline, competitors will have a maximum of one hour from the time of final check-in and set-up until the end of turn-in. Competitors wishing to arrive earlier than the specified final check-in time may do so, although there is no guarantee that the Bacon Bash will be able to furnish space to assemble and prepare dishes until such time as the area is clear from the previous competition. Turn-in to the judges will be on a 12 by 19 oval tray provided to competitors by the World Food Championships. Competitors will receive one tray. Turn-ins will consist of: a) Competitors will create one (1) complete dish for appearance judging. b) Competitors will create five (5) small tasting portions for taste/execution judging. The taste entries will not be judged for appearance. Plating: Competitors should provide their own plating. Plating will be marked by the competitor at the time of check-in and can be retrieved from the judging area after the judging has completed. It is strongly recommended that competitors use simple and affordable plating. WFC will try to return all plating to customers, but WFC does not guarantee their return. In other words, do not use plating that you can t live without. It s recommended that competitors choose small, simple and versatile plating.
A good example of plating would be small ramekins or plates that can easily fit on the oval tray. Presentation décor/garnish is up to the competitor. The décor must be edible or floral; edible décor will not be eaten nor judged for anything other than appearance. No artificial structures may be used to frame, elevate or prop your appearance judged product. Toothpicks or similar items may be used only on the portions judged for taste. If a toothpick is used, competitors must ensure that it is visible to the judges. Turn-in times will be confirmed the day of the event. An entry will be judged only at the time established by the Bacon Bash and WFC. The allowable turn-in time will be ten (10) minutes previous to the total time with no tolerance. Competitors will have one hour total from the check-in time, with the turn-in window to open at 50 minutes. A late turn-in will receive one point in all judging criteria. Miscellaneous All utensils, plates, pots, bowls, paper towels, etc. must be provided by the competitor. There will be access to water on site; however, all necessary materials needed for final preparation and clean-up will be the entire responsibility of the competitor.
Category Competitions Steak Category For the purposes of the Bacon Bash WFC Super Qualifier event, steak is defined as a thick, flat piece of meat and especially, but not limited to, beef. Judges will be instructed that the builds do not have to only be steak, but rather feature and highlight steak as the star of the dish. The success of the cook s ability to feature and highlight steak in their dish will be assessed in the judges Execution score of the EAT methodology. Please note: Competitor s must take special care to ensure that the doneness of their steak, regardless of the protein, is not considered raw. Judges are not required to eat any dish that they feel unsafe or uncomfortable eating. All competition ingredients must be provided by competitor. Ingredients will be defined as anything presented on the tray for judging, including garnish. Competitors must provide a comprehensive list of the ingredients used in each recipe at the time of check-in. Sandwich Category For the purposes of the Bacon Bash WFC Super Qualifier event, a sandwich will be defined as any combination of ingredients between at least two pieces of bread and/or a wrap. The success of the cook s execution of a sandwich dish will be assessed in the judges Execution score of the EAT methodology. All competition ingredients must be provided by competitor. Ingredients will be defined as anything presented on the tray for judging, including garnish. Competitors must provide a comprehensive list of the ingredients used in each recipe at the time of check-in. Chili Category For purposes of the Bacon Bash WFC Super Qualifier event, chili will be defined as any kind of meat or combination of meats cooked with chili peppers, various spices and other ingredients. There will be no restrictions on the use of ingredients for the chili competition. The success of the cook s execution of chili will be assessed in the judges Execution score of the EAT methodology. Chili can range across all varieties, including Traditional Red, Chili Verde, White Chili, etc. Vegetarian chili is not allowed. All competition ingredients must be provided by competitor. Ingredients will be defined as anything presented on the tray for judging, including garnish. Competitors must provide a comprehensive list of the ingredients used in each recipe at the time of check-in. Dessert Category For the purposes of the Bacon Bash WFC Super Qualifier event, dessert is defined as any sweeter dish that traditionally completes a meal. The success of the cook s execution of dessert will be assessed in the judges Execution score of the EAT methodology. Desserts can range across all varieties including, but not limited to: cookies, pies, cakes, biscuits, puddings, candies, gelatins, pastries, ice creams, etc. All competition ingredients must be provided by competitor. Ingredients will be defined as anything presented on the tray for judging, including garnish. Competitors must provide a comprehensive list of the ingredients used in each recipe at the time of check-in.
Judging Process The Bacon Bash WFC Cook-off is a blind-judged competition. Entries will be submitted on an approved and numbered tray provided by the contest organizer. The container will be re-numbered upon turn-in by the Contest Organizer or authorized personnel before being presented to the judges. Judges will be instructed to judge each entry on Execution, Appearance and Taste, which is the foundation for the EAT method of judging. The numbering will rank from 1 to 10 in each of the three judging categories. Judging will be silent and blind judged. Each judge will convene at the mandatory judges meeting in advance of the judging round, where they will be instructed on what is expected of them at the competition. Judges will be instructed to not converse or discuss the entries until all judges have completed scoring and the score cards have been collected. Judges will have access to basic flatware/plastic ware for use during all rounds of tasting. Competitors are not required and not recommended to provide individual flatware. Each entry will be judged on its own individual merits as opposed to comparatively against the other entries. Entries may include any combination of ingredients, sauces and toppings. Every component must be placed together as a single judging portion. If a component to an entry, such as a sauce or condiment, exists outside of the serving, it will not be judged. There will be no refund of entry fees for any rules infraction. A competitor s entry must be an original recipe and not the property of any third party.
EAT JUDGING METHOD The EAT Method is the World Food Championships own proprietary scoring system and methodology that allows any WFC competition category to be judged on the same criteria in a consistent manner. Each entry will be judged on three key evaluation criteria: Execution, Appearance and Taste. EXECUTION - Within a category, Execution may be defined specifically to the category it belongs in. However, in general, Execution will be evaluated by overall and specific judge s interpretations of dish structure, edibility, category specifications, design and preparation. Specific category requirements/challenges will be detailed to the judges in the same manner that they have been detailed to the competitors. It will be up to the judges to determine the success of the competitor at accomplishing the requirements of the round. APPEARANCE - Within a category, Appearance may be defined specifically to the category it belongs in. However, in general, Appearance will be evaluated on two criteria: the product to be sampled which is presented for judging, as well as the overall appearance of the turn-in tray. EAT judges will be instructed to more heavily weight their assessment based on the product itself, but to also consider overall presentation appearance. TASTE - Within a category, Taste may be defined specifically to the category it belongs in. During WFC Judging each criteria will be judged on a scale of 1 (inedible) to 10 (perfect), with 5 being a mid-point (average) score. Each of the EAT category scores will be weighted according to their importance to the overall dish. The weighting is as follows: Taste 50%, Execution 35%, Appearance 15%. Weighting will be executed by the computerized scoring system and not by judges determination. The lowest score for each entry will be dropped. Tiebreakers for WFC judging rounds will go as follows: 1. Sum of Taste scores (after dropping the lowest cumulative score set) 2. Sum of weighted Taste and Execution scores (after dropping the lowest cumulative score set) 3. Higher of the lowest cumulative scores (the previously dropped score set) 4. Higher Taste score from lowest cumulative score set 5. Higher weighted Taste and Execution scores from the lowest cumulative score set 6. Sum of cumulative scores, dropping lowest AND highest score set 7. Sum of Taste scores (after dropping the lowest AND highest cumulative score set) 8. Sum of weighted Taste and Execution scores (after dropping the lowest AND highest cumulative score set) 9. Computer-generated random sequence (coin toss)
World Food Championships The World Food Championships is a 9-category live event cooking competition held annually for hundreds of thousands in total prize money. More than 500 competitors, champions and award-winning amateurs and professional chefs will gather in Orange Beach, Alabama for a shot at fame and fortune. The 2016 World Food Champion will win a $100,000 grand prize. The 2016 World Food Championships will take place Nov. 8 through Nov 15 in Orange Beach, AL. Competition categories for the 2016 WFC event include: Bacon, Barbecue, Sandwich, Dessert, Burger, Steak, Chili, Recipe and Seafood. For more information about the World Food Championships, visit: www.worldfoodchampionships.com. Each competitor at the Bacon Bash WFC Super Qualifier event will be working to earn their spot to compete in the World Food Championships. The competition category that the competitors qualify through will be the categories they compete in at WFC (ie, if you win the Dessert competition, you will compete in the World Dessert Competition in Florida). As a competitor at the World Food Championships, each qualifying team must designate a head cook, register and provide a competition waiver signed by the head cook. In 2015, the World Food Championships entered into an agreement with Core Media Group, producers of American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, and Sharp Entertainment, producers of Man v Food, to film the World Food Championships to air as a series on the A&E Networks new FYI Network. The World Food Championships television series debuted its premiere in July of 2014. For more information on the World Food Championships television series, visit www.fyi.tv/shows/world-food-championships. View the WFC Highlight Reel: https://youtu.be/odm2rtyuvmo
Changes and Amendments It is important to note that the rules described above are subject to change. Any matters not specifically covered herein are subject to decision by the event coordinator. WFC and the Bacon Bash reserves the right to make such changes, amendments and additions to these rules as considered advisable for the proper conduct of the contest with the provision that all contestants will be advised of any such changes in writing. General Competition Guidelines Appropriate sanitary equipment will be provided per regulations determined by local health and fire codes. Competitors are required to provide appropriate ice and coolers for ingredients/dishes that must be maintained at a specific temperature required by the health department. Any violation of health or fire department regulations may result in the immediate disqualification of a competitor. Competitors are NOT ALLOWED to serve or vend to the attending public. If a contestant does not follow the Rules and Regulations set by the event coordinator, then this contract may be terminated. In the event of a default by the contestant, the contestant shall forfeit as liquidated damages the amount paid by him/her in connection with his/her application. In case of cancellation of the contest for the specified due to war, government action or order, act of God, fire, strike, labor disputes, or any other cause beyond the event s control, this Agreement shall terminate. Fire and Health Department Guidelines Competitors and teams will be required to comply with the Pierce County Health and River Falls Fire Departments. WFC and the Bacon Bash will provide final fire and health guidelines at onsite check-in and via e-mail for any pertinent information prior to the event. Competitors are expected to read and adhere to these rules at all times.
Participant Agreement River Falls Bacon Bash WFC Super Qualifier This one page participant agreement must be completed and turned-in by the head cook at time of check-in. Thank you for agreeing to participate in the Bacon Bash Cook-off Super Qualifier event, produced by MMA Creative, producers of the World Food Championships and the River Falls Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau, producers of the Bacon Bash. This Agreement shall constitute an agreement between You and MMA Creative, The River Falls Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau, its agents, assignees, licensees, and benefactors (collectively the Organizers) and shall govern your participation in the Super Qualifier event. By signing below, you agree to be legally bound by all of the terms, conditions and notices contained or referenced herein. As a qualifier/participant, You hereby grant the Organizers the right to record Your name, likeness, image, voice, sound effects, interview and performance on film, tape, or otherwise (the recording ), edit such Recordings as the Organizers may desire. You hereby grant the Organizers the permission and right to use or authorize the use of the Recording or any portions thereof in all markets, manner, formats and media, whether now known or hereafter developed, throughout the world, in perpetuity. Liability and Insurance Neither the event coordinator, the Organizers, or the host venue/location and its partners and sponsors nor their representatives will be responsible for any injury, loss or damage that may occur to the Contestant or the Contestant s employees or property from any cause whatsoever. It is the Contestant s responsibility to protect equipment and contestant space so that no injury will result to the public, visitors, guests, or persons or property. All property of the Contestant is understood to remain in the Contestant s care, custody and control in transit to, from or within the confines of the contest area subject to Rules and Regulations. The Contestant, upon signing the Competitor s Agreement, expressly releases, hold, keeps and saves harmless and indemnifies the foregoing names, organizations and committees and individuals from all claims for such loss, damage, or injury. Contestants are advised to carry insurance to cover any of the above. Changes and Amendments The Organizers reserve the right to make changes to these rules. Any matters not specifically covered herein are subject to decision by the event coordinator. WFC and the Bacon Bash reserves the right to make such changes, amendments and additions to these rules as considered advisable for the proper conduct of the contest with the provision that all contestants will be advised of any such changes in writing. Printed Name Signature Address City/State Phone Number Email Address