THE PERFECT BITE COMPETITION
OVERVIEW & CHEF INFO
Perfect Bite Competition at the TURN Festival
September 24, 2023 at 6 PM.
NUMBER OF GUESTS: 175
CONTACT INFO FOR QUESTIONS: Tommy Reddicks: treddicks@paramountindy.org
CHEF PAY:
All chefs will receive $250 for participating (paid the night of the competition). This amount is designed to help cover food costs and/or leave a little extra for participation. But chefs can choose to elevate their perfect bite and spend more (keeping less). It’s a chef’s choice. In this competition, there is no limit on spending.
RULES:
There “is” a size limit for The Perfect Bite. The size limit of the "edible portion" of the bite cannot exceed 2.25" x 2.25" X 2" (WxLxH). Items used to assist in the delivery of the bite (plate, fork, spoon, skewer, etc.) may exceed the 2" requirements. Additionally, the following rules apply:
THE COMPETITION:
Beginning at 6 PM and lasting for one hour, guests will have a single ticket for voting for their favorite bite. With 150 in attendance, Chefs should be prepared to serve a between 150 and 175 bites.
At the end of the first hour, all tickets will be counted, and three finalists are chosen:
The two chefs with the most tickets will make the finals and have a chance for a World Food Championship Golden Ticket. A third chef will be awarded a spot in the finals by a participating pair of culinary experts (who will also be judging the finals). All Golden Tickets come with support from Kelly’s Fund for helping with the flight to the WFC. In the event of a tie for the top two places, the finals judges will determine a winner.
THE FINALS:
The 3 finals chefs will compete for each of the three event benefactors at a specialized finals table. The finalists cook without assistance in a 45-minute head-to-head “perfect plate” challenge. Finalists will have a pot of boiling water, cutting board, and an induction burner with induction pan in addition to a stocked pantry. The remaining chefs not making finals will assist a pair of judges in the finals. The winning chef receives $1,000. 2nd place receives $750, and 3rd place receives $500.
THE PANTRY:
In addition to their own winnings, the final three chefs will compete to win more money for their sponsors. The winning chef will win a larger cut of the evening's proceeds for their sponsor. During the finals, chefs will have access to a pantry that will include free ingredients, as well as more desirable ingredients that guests can buy (via event donation) for their chef. In this way, guests loyal to the benefactor the chef is cooking for will be incentivized to buy their chef higher-tier ingredients for the final cook. This also helps to raise more money. Audience members can also donate money to bribe judges. If a judge is bribed, they must cast a vote for the finalist chosen by whomever bribed them. There cannot be more than four bribes in the competition.
ARRIVAL:
Chefs can arrive any time after 2 PM to prep. Event staff will meet arriving chefs and show them to their space.
PARKING: Chefs can park behind the tents (via the alley) on the Paramount grounds (3020 Nowland Avenue, 46201), so loading and unloading are easy.
EQUIPMENT: Every chef will have an 8’ table with power (standard 120) for one hot plate/induction burner (no open flames allowed). Chefs must bring their own induction burners/pots/pans/knives, ladles, etc. If we need to source heat for you, we’ll try our best but cannot guarantee we’ll find what you need.
PLATES AND SILVERWARE: Recyclable plates and silverware will be available for chefs to serve all guests.
PREP AND GREENROOM: All chefs will have access to the school kitchen to prep. There is also a prep tent with 54’ of table space and plenty of room for coolers. The prep tent is not designed for making product or heating product, but makes an ideal staging point. This chef tent also serves as the break room/green room for chefs and their staff and will have plenty of snacks and beverages. It is a 15-second walk from the main tent. It is also the home for 30 private VIP guests.
EVENT LAYOUT: The event layout is generalized from prior years and is copied below. This is an outdoor event held in tents.
Perfect Bite Competition at the TURN Festival
September 24, 2023 at 6 PM.
NUMBER OF GUESTS: 175
CONTACT INFO FOR QUESTIONS: Tommy Reddicks: treddicks@paramountindy.org
CHEF PAY:
All chefs will receive $250 for participating (paid the night of the competition). This amount is designed to help cover food costs and/or leave a little extra for participation. But chefs can choose to elevate their perfect bite and spend more (keeping less). It’s a chef’s choice. In this competition, there is no limit on spending.
RULES:
There “is” a size limit for The Perfect Bite. The size limit of the "edible portion" of the bite cannot exceed 2.25" x 2.25" X 2" (WxLxH). Items used to assist in the delivery of the bite (plate, fork, spoon, skewer, etc.) may exceed the 2" requirements. Additionally, the following rules apply:
- Sauces, dips, rubs, or spices may exceed the 2.25" boundaries as long as the actual bite (after dipping, seasoning, or saucing) stays within the 2.25" rule.
- The perfect bite cannot be multiple bites but “can” contain multiple deconstructed components that are intended to be reconstructed for a single composed bite that fits within the 2.25" rules.
- Event judges have complete and final say over all size limit concerns.
- Chefs not abiding by the rules will lose their eligibility for the finals.
- Participating Chefs must submit the following information prior to September 14 to be eligible for the competition.
- a recent photo
- their current restaurant or status
- the title of their bite
THE COMPETITION:
Beginning at 6 PM and lasting for one hour, guests will have a single ticket for voting for their favorite bite. With 150 in attendance, Chefs should be prepared to serve a between 150 and 175 bites.
At the end of the first hour, all tickets will be counted, and three finalists are chosen:
The two chefs with the most tickets will make the finals and have a chance for a World Food Championship Golden Ticket. A third chef will be awarded a spot in the finals by a participating pair of culinary experts (who will also be judging the finals). All Golden Tickets come with support from Kelly’s Fund for helping with the flight to the WFC. In the event of a tie for the top two places, the finals judges will determine a winner.
THE FINALS:
The 3 finals chefs will compete for each of the three event benefactors at a specialized finals table. The finalists cook without assistance in a 45-minute head-to-head “perfect plate” challenge. Finalists will have a pot of boiling water, cutting board, and an induction burner with induction pan in addition to a stocked pantry. The remaining chefs not making finals will assist a pair of judges in the finals. The winning chef receives $1,000. 2nd place receives $750, and 3rd place receives $500.
THE PANTRY:
In addition to their own winnings, the final three chefs will compete to win more money for their sponsors. The winning chef will win a larger cut of the evening's proceeds for their sponsor. During the finals, chefs will have access to a pantry that will include free ingredients, as well as more desirable ingredients that guests can buy (via event donation) for their chef. In this way, guests loyal to the benefactor the chef is cooking for will be incentivized to buy their chef higher-tier ingredients for the final cook. This also helps to raise more money. Audience members can also donate money to bribe judges. If a judge is bribed, they must cast a vote for the finalist chosen by whomever bribed them. There cannot be more than four bribes in the competition.
ARRIVAL:
Chefs can arrive any time after 2 PM to prep. Event staff will meet arriving chefs and show them to their space.
PARKING: Chefs can park behind the tents (via the alley) on the Paramount grounds (3020 Nowland Avenue, 46201), so loading and unloading are easy.
EQUIPMENT: Every chef will have an 8’ table with power (standard 120) for one hot plate/induction burner (no open flames allowed). Chefs must bring their own induction burners/pots/pans/knives, ladles, etc. If we need to source heat for you, we’ll try our best but cannot guarantee we’ll find what you need.
PLATES AND SILVERWARE: Recyclable plates and silverware will be available for chefs to serve all guests.
PREP AND GREENROOM: All chefs will have access to the school kitchen to prep. There is also a prep tent with 54’ of table space and plenty of room for coolers. The prep tent is not designed for making product or heating product, but makes an ideal staging point. This chef tent also serves as the break room/green room for chefs and their staff and will have plenty of snacks and beverages. It is a 15-second walk from the main tent. It is also the home for 30 private VIP guests.
EVENT LAYOUT: The event layout is generalized from prior years and is copied below. This is an outdoor event held in tents.
