CONTEST INFORMATION

Date.   Friday, March 27, 2020

Location.   State Fair of Texas fairground, Creative Arts Building (1327 Admiral Nimitz Circle, Dallas, TX 75210).  MAP

Tentative  Schedule.   The following tentative schedule applies to all contestants and judges.  (subject to change).  A final schedule will be distributed/posted following the registration deadline.  The Awards Program for each heat will be conducted as soon as judging and tabulation are complete. More specific times will be sent to the Judges and Group Leaders after entries are received.

Heat 1	Heat 2
9:00 am– Registration/ Box Checks	10:30 am– Registration/Box Checks
9:30 am– Contestant Orientation Group Leader/Judging Orientation	11:00 am– Contestant Orientation
10:00 am– Heat 1 Challenge Begins	11:30 am– Heat 2 Challenge Begins
10:40 am– Heat 1 Challenge Ends	12:10 pm-Heat 2 Challenge Ends
11:00 am– Heat 1 Judging	12:25 pm– Heat 2 Judging Begins
12:00 pm- Heat 1 Awards	1:30– Heat 2 Awards

 

Registration.   Each participating member is required to register on 4-H Connect and pay the district $12.00 contest registration fee. Registration will open on February 1, 2020 and close at midnight March 6, 2020.  Please make sure each team member uses the exact same team name when registering.  County offices, please double-check and correct any team naming issues at your level before certifying.

Participation.   Participants must be active 4-H members enrolled in a Texas 4-H and Youth Development county program in District IV, and must also be academically eligible.

Age.   Age divisions are determined by a participant’s grade as of August 31 of the current 4-H year.

Junior	grades 3, 4 or 5
Intermediate	grades 6, 7, or 8
Senior	grades 9, 10, 11, or 12
	NOTE:  The MIXED age division was eliminated in 2016-2017.

 

Teams per county.  Each county may enter up to 4 teams in each age division. The 1st place senior team from each food category will advance to state.  Teams advancing to state will not automatically be assigned to the same food category as they were in at district.

Members per team.   teams will have at least three and no more than four members.   Teams may not include members in different age divisions. Each county may enter a maximum of four Junior, four Intermediate teams and a maximum of four Senior teams. (district rule). 

Food categories.  In each age division, Food Items will be selected from the four Food Categories:  Main Dish, Fruits & Vegetables, Bread & Cereal, and Nutritious Snacks.  Teams will be assigned to a heat/category, and a schedule will be posted and distributed prior to the contest.

Attire. Each team will have the option of wearing coordinated clothing or aprons. Each team member is required to wear closed toe shoes and a hair restraint. 

Contest References & Forms.   Refer to the following website for additional rules, scorecard, and forms: https://texas4-h.tamu.edu/projects/food-nutrition/

 

Resource materials provided at contest.  Resource materials provided at contest. Resource materials will be provided for each team at the contest. These include MyPlate Mini-Poster, Fight Bac – Fight Food Borne Bacteria Brochure, Know Your Nutrients, and Food Safety Fact Sheet. Optional resources will include the Food Challenge Worksheet, and copies of grocery receipts/purchase prices for age groups calculating costs. No other resource materials will be allowed. Teams may not use their personal copies of the resources during the contest.   You can find these resources at the same link noted above in the Contest References & Forms section.

Supply box.  PLEASE SEE guideline for new changes to items in Supply box. Each team must supply their own equipment for the challenge. Teams may bring only the supplies listed in the supply box section (below).  Any extra equipment will be confiscated.  Safety note: please make sure all knives are properly and safely packed in the box so that contestants and officials are not injured.  There will be no dish cleaning/washing facilities available.  Plan your supply boxes for each team accordingly.  Restrooms are off limits for dish/utensil washing.  After each heat, burners will be moved to a central table to allow for cooling.  Please make sure all burners are clearly labeled with a county, club, or individual’s name.

Awards.   The top two high scoring food challenge teams in each age division from each heat will be recognized with awards during the awards program.  In the senior age division, the 1st place team from each food category will qualify for state.

Team Spirit awards.   Team Spirit awards be awarded in each heat in each age division.  The Team Spirit award will be given based on teamwork, enthusiasm, and professional appearance.  Team Spirit judges will be different than presentation judges.  Team Spirit will be evaluated during the 40-minute preparation time.

Volunteers.  The list below details responsibilities where volunteers are needed.   Agents need to recruit and sign volunteers up online at: Volunteers will need to check in at the times designated on the schedule.

• Timekeepers – Judge’s Rooms (4) – responsible for keeping time for each team being judged
• Group Leaders (3) – responsible for ushering teams to their judging rooms
• Room Monitors (12) – responsible for ensuring contestant cooking safety and contest rules
• Judges (12) – responsible for judging teams’ presentations; need nutrition background
• Runners (2) – responsible to gathering score cards and taking them to tabulation room
• Timekeeper – Contest Room (1) – responsible for keeping time in the main cooking room

Participants with disabilities.   If you need any type of accommodation to participate in this program or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact the district office at 972-231-5362 at least 2 weeks prior to the program or note such needs when registering on 4-H Connect.

 

Food Allergies.   Contestants with food allergies must note their specific allergy at the time of registering on 4-H Connect.

Rules of Play PLEASE READ CAREFULLY, AS THERE ARE MANY CHANGES!

Welcome to the 4-H Food Challenge! 

1.  No electronic devices or jewelry (except for medically required) is allowed in contest. This includes cell phones, smart watches, or other communication devices. 

 

1.  Each team will be directed to a cooking/preparation station. 

 

1. Each team will receive an information sheet with their contest category and “key” ingredient for that category (no ingredient amounts, recipe, or instructions will be provided at the station). The “key” ingredient will be representative of one of the following categories: Main Dish, Fruits and Vegetables, Bread and Cereal, and Nutritious Snacks. Key ingredient examples: Main Dish (fish), Fruits and Vegetables (fennel), Bread and Cereal (barley), Nutritious Snacks (chickpeas).    

 

1. Teams will have access to a “pantry” of additional ingredients which should be combined with the team’s “key” ingredient to create an original recipe/dish during the contest. Pantry items will include items commonly found in grocery stores and/or home pantries, including items such as produce, seasonings, oils, etc.   

 

1. Teams must use at least two additional items from the pantry. Teams will also receive a pricing sheet for pantry items at their station. Pantry items will be “purchased” using a pricing system and “contest currency.”  This will enable teams to analyze the cost of their entire dish and individual serving. The currency system will be explained prior to the contest. Teams may not exceed the provided “contest currency” or trade “currency” or pantry items with other teams. Example: teams may be provided $5.00 in “contest currency” to spend at the pantry; each item in the pantry will be priced and teams must calculate cost according to total spent in pantry.  

 

1.  Each team will have 40 minutes to prepare the dish, plan a presentation, and clean up the preparation area. 

 

1.  Electrical: Teams should be prepared to only plug in one piece of equipment at a time to reduce the risk of electrical malfunction. Contest officials will announce if this is necessary during participant orientation. 

 

1. Preparation:  Each team will create an entire dish/recipe (not a full meal) using the provided key ingredient and pantry items. Teams should present the entire dish/recipe to the judges and communicate during their presentation what an individual serving size should be. Teams will be responsible for determining the number of servings their dish provides. Teams should not create side or multiple dishes with their ingredients/pantry items.  

 

1.  Teams are challenged to be creative and developing an original recipe with the ingredients provided. 

 

1. Teams will determine the exact amount of each ingredient used based on their original recipe. 

 

1. The key ingredient and/or pantry ingredients selected should be used to garnish the dish. 

 

1.  Note cards may be used to write down the recipe that the team creates, along with notes related to nutrition, food safety, and cost analysis. Teams should be exact on ingredients used, preparation steps, cooking time, temperature, etc. 

 

1.  Food and Equipment Safety: A safe and sanitary working environment must be maintained during the contest. Each station will have food and kitchen safety resources. Teams should follow the steps listed to ensure proper food and equipment safety is followed. 
2. Judges will be scoring teams on food and equipment safety during the preparation phase of the contest. Teams should also discuss safety steps used during the presentation phase of the contest.  

 

1. Gloves: Gloves do not have to be worn throughout the contest; however, proper hand sanitizing techniques will be required and expected throughout the contest. If the participants decide to wear gloves, they must be changed between handling raw meats/seafood; handling cooked items; and ready to eat items or raw vegetables to prevent cross contamination. Hand sanitizer should be used during the preparation phase of the contest to further prevent cross contamination.  

 

1. Hair Restraint: Each team member must wear a hat, hair net and/or other type of hair restraint during the food preparation part of the competition.  

 

1.  Nutrition: Each station will have a variety of nutrition resources/references. Each team should highlight key nutrients in their dish and their functions during their presentation. 

 

1. Cost analysis:  Price(s) of the key ingredient and pantry items will be provided to teams. Teams will calculate the price of the dish based on the amount of ingredients used. Teams should calculate the cost of the total recipe, as well as the price per serving. Teams will determine the number of servings for their recipe.  

 

1.  Presentation:  Following the preparation phase of the contest, each team will give a 5-minute presentation to a panel of judges.  A majority of team members should participate in the presentation.  

 

1. To earn maximum points, teams must use these 5 minutes to address the following areas of the presentation scorecard: Knowledge of MyPlate, Nutrition Knowledge, Food Preparation, Safety Concerns, and Serving Size.  

 

1. At the end of 5 minutes, time will be called – additional time will not be allowed. Judges will be allowed 3 minutes to ask questions; however, judges will not ask questions related to what teams should have covered during the presentation. Judges questions will be related to general nutrition, health, chronic disease prevention or others relevant to food and nutrition.  

 

1. Teams that experience any equipment malfunction(s) may not replace the equipment with supplies from another team, leaders, volunteers, county Extension agents or contest officials. Instead, team members must work together and be creative in completing preparation without the malfunctioning equipment. 

 

1. If electricity goes out during the preparation phase of the contest, teams are asked to turn away from the table immediately. Contest officials will stop the clock so that no preparation time is lost.  

 

1. Ingredients have been divided among teams to minimize the cost and reduce wastefulness. If teams need to see an original food package and/or the nutrition facts label, you may view it in the pantry table area. Teams may not take the original food package from the table. 

 

1.  All fresh produce (fruits and vegetables) has been washed prior to the contest; if not, water stations will be supplied for participants to wash produce.

 Igloos/jugs full of water will be located throughout the room if needed. 

1.  Trash cans are located throughout the room for your use. (Include instructions on liquid disposal.) 

 

1.  Each team had the opportunity to include a small first aid kit in your supply box. If you did not bring a first aid kit, contest officials have one. If you happen to need first aid due to a cut or burn, please let your group leader know immediately so they can assist you! 

 

1.  After the 40-minute preparation time is up, your area MUST be clean and all the supplies and extra food items must be in your supply box. If you have a hot plate or other items cooling, it may be the only thing out on the table other than the food you are presenting to the judges. 

 

1.  After time is called for the 40-minute preparation period, no talking and no writing is allowed among any team members. Team members caught talking and/or writing will receive a warning. The second time, the team will be disqualified and asked to leave the contest facility. Team members should not have pens or  pencils in their possession while waiting to give their presentation. 

 

1.  Please remain seated once time is up and do not leave the room unless escorted by your group leader to another room to wait to give your team presentation. (If needed, provide instructions on where teams will wait to give presentations.) 

 

1.  If you need to use the restroom, please let your group leader know. 

 

1.  After your team presentation, please walk back to your assigned seating area QUIETLY and place your dish on your table. 

 

1.  After your team presentation, you will be asked to complete an evaluation, giving you the opportunity to share with us your experience in the Food Challenge. When you are done with the evaluation, you are  dismissed to leave. Please be quiet when you leave – taking your supply box with you! All dishes should be disposed of before you leave contest area. 

 

1.  If you have any questions, please ask your group leader. 

 

1. Rankings. Placing will be based on the rankings of teams by judges. Judges’ decisions are final.

 

1. Awards Program. An awards program will be held at the conclusion of the judging process.

 

SUPPLY BOX Please Note Changes are Bolded!

Each team will bring an equipment box containing only one each of the following items, unless a different quantity is noted:

• Beverage glass
• Bowls
• Dip Size (1)
• Mixing (2)
• Serving (1)
• Calculator
• Can Opener
• Cookie Sheet
• Colander
• Cutting Boards (3)
• Disposable tasting spoons (no limit)
• Dry measuring cups (1 set)
• Electric Skillet
• Extension cord  (Teams should be certain the extension cord is compatible (2-prong/3-prong) with the plugs on their electrical supplies)
• First aid kit
• Food thermometer
• Fork
• Gloves
• Grater
• Hand sanitizer
• Hot pads (up to 5)
• Kitchen shears (1 pair)
• Kitchen timer
• Knives (4)
• Liquid measuring cup
• Measuring spoons (1 set)
• Non-stick cooking spray
• Note cards (1 package – no larger than 5″ X 7″)
• Paper towels (1 roll)
• Pancake turner
• Pencils (no limit)
• Plastic box or trash bag for dirty equipment
• Pot with lid
• Potato masher
• Potato peeler
• Sanitizing wipes (for tables) (1 container)
• Serving platter
• Serving utensil
• Skillet with lid
• Spatulas (2)
• Stirring spoon
• Storage bags (1 box)
• Tongs
• Two single-burner hot plates OR one double-burner plate (electric only)
• Whisk

Gadget of the Year: Teams may have the following kitchen gadget in their box for the 2019-2020 Contest Year: Manual Spiralizer

 

From <https://agrilife.org/d44h/event/food-challenge/>