Rules & Guidelines

     Teams     Equipment     Cooking Criteria     Awards     Contact Info

Team Applications
Teams

• Each team may consist of 3-5 students.
• Middle School teams are any combination of 6-8th graders.
• High School teams are any combination of 9-12th graders.
• Each team must have an Adult Team Supervisor who is present for the duration of the competition. Team Supervisors must be a school employee or parent.
• Each team is also allowed but not required to have a Team Coach.  The Team Coach could be a school food service professional, chef, farmer, or foodie who helps the team create and practice a recipe in preparation for the event.
• Only students may cook during the competition. The Team Supervisor and/or Coach may only provide hands-off guidance in cooking techniques and safety. Any other adult involvement in the cooking will result in disqualification of the team.
• There will be two heats, one in the morning and one in the afternoon for Middle School and High School teams. Each heat will be filled on a first-come/first-serve basis. Teams may indicate their time slot preference in the application.

Entry Fee: There is $150.00 entry fee for each team. Entry fees should be paid by check made payable to: VT FEED/Shelburne Farms. Teams are welcome to find local businesses and organizations to sponsor their participation costs ($150 entry fee, cost of ingredients, etc). For tips on how to find a local sponsor, visit the FAQs sectionof this site.

Permission Release Form:  Each team member must submit a signed “Parental Permission and Release Form” before the team is officially register in the competition. The event is open to the public and media. We are not able to control the photos taken at the event; therefore we must have a photo release form from every participating student.

Team Entry Fee and Permission Forms must be postmarked within two weeks of submitting the on-line application, or your application will be erased and you will need to reapply. 

Send entry fee (made out to VT FEED/Shelburne Farms) and permission slip/release forms to: 

VT FEED
PO Box 697
Richmond, VT 05477

Recipe Submittal:  Teams must submit the recipe they will be cooking at the competition for review by December 1, 2012.  Recipes will be checked for the following criteria:

• Use of at least 5 local ingredients, provided by Jr Iron Chef VT
• Replicable by School Food Service staff (described in cooking criteria)
• Adherence to all Jr Iron Chef VT Competition rules

The recipe must be submitted using the on-line recipe form found on your team homepage.  You can use the on-line template to share draft recipes with your team members as you develop different editions of your recipe. Your recipe should make 6 x 8 oz. servings. Two of your servings will be plated as demonstration plates. One of these will be sent to the judges to see how the plated dish looks, and one will be put on display for attendees to see. The remaining four servings need to be split into 16 x 2 oz. servings. These are the servings that the judges will taste.
Remember, your final recipe MUST be submitted by December 1, 2012. Once your recipe is approved you may not make changes.      

 

EQUIPMENT:

Jr Iron Chef VT WILL provide the following:

• Aprons for all team members and coaches
• Food service gloves
• Hairnets
• Taste-test serving utensils for judging
• Table covers
• 1/2 Sheet pan for teams using ovens
• 2 Oven mitts for teams using ovens

All teams MUST bring:**

• Cleaning supplies
• Dish cloths and paper towels
• A large tub to carry all cooking supplies back to your home base. NOTE: THERE ARE NO DISH CLEANING FACILITIES AT THE COMPETITION
• A bucket for trash and compost
• Heavy Duty (at least 12 gauge) 3-prong extension cord
• 2-3 gallons of water for cooking. NOTE: THERE IS NO WATER AVAILABLE FOR COOKING OR CLEANING AT THE COMPETITION 
• For teams using ovens: Stainless or Aluminum tray or pan to bake dish. - NO GLASS OR CERAMIC DISHES
• Closed toed shoes for all participants

Teams MAY bring:**

• Gas-fueled tabletop cook burners-- Tanks must be 1 lb or smaller  ! NO ELECTRIC HEATING TOOLS ARE ALLOWED !
• Blender and/or food processor*
• Non-electric hand tools (e.g. immersion blenders, whisks, mixing spoons, etc.)
• Cooking pots and pans
• Cutting boards and knives
• Pot-holders and trivets
• Hats and/or uniforms
• Team signs to put on your cooking station (signs must fit on your 6 x 4  foot work station)
• Copies of your recipe for the audience
• Thermometer (if using oven)
• Timer

* If you are bringing an electric utensil (e.g. blender, food processor, etc). you MUST bring a Heavy Duty 3-prong extension cord.
** All team equipment should be labeled with your team name.

Teams MAY NOT bring:

• Any electric heating tool including toaster ovens, hot plates, crock pots, electric griddles, microwaves, etc.  The competition cannot support the electric demands of ANY electric heating device. Teams that use any of these items will be disqualified.
• Your own plates/utensils for judging presentation.  All food entries will be presented on a uniform plate provided by the competition.

If you have questions about competition tools/equipment and/or need help acquiring equipment, please contact info@jrironchefvt.org

OVENS—Additional Guidelines for teams using ovens
ALL OVENS ARE CONVECTION OVENS AND WILL BE SET at 350°

• Teams must sign up during the recipe submission process to use an oven at the competition.
• Jr. Iron Chef VT will provide volunteers who will operate the ovens.
• Teams must assign one member to be the "Oven Captain".  The oven captain will carry the dish to the oven and be the only team member allowed in the oven area. The oven captain will be assisted by a chef volunteer to carry their hot dish back to their table.
• Each team will be responsible for keeping time on their dish and must notify the chef volunteer when to remove the dish from the oven.
• The ovens are "Community Ovens" - Please allow extra time for your dish to cook as the door may be opened and closed while your dish is cooking.
• Each team that signs up for an oven on the recipe submission form will be assigned a rack in one oven.
• Jr. Iron Chef VT will provide:

  *1 half sheet pan per team (placed under dish in oven)
  *2 oven mitts per team

• Teams will be responsible for thermometers, timers and stainless or aluminum trays or pans to bake their dish – NO GLASS, POTTERY OR CERAMIC DISHES WILL BE ALLOWED. 
• Keep in mind the judging will happen over time so your dish may be cool when judged.
• Reminder: Dishes must be school meal appropriate (a soufflé would not be practical)

COOKING CRITERIA

Jr Iron Chef VT challenges teams to create a healthy, delicious, school-food-friendly dish using seasonal, local foods.  All entries will be judged by the following criteria:

• Taste - kid friendly and flavorful
• Appearance - presentation on the plate
• Creativity - ingenuity of the ingredients used, how dish is prepared, how it is presented
• Best and Most Use of Local Ingredients - highlighting local and seasonal foods
• School Food Service Appropriate - time/cost affordability, nutrition level

Here are some tips to keep in mind while you are preparing for the competition:

• Teams are encouraged to use original recipes. If you are using a recipe from a known source, you must credit that source.
• Recipes must be only one dish. A soup with croutons is considered one dish. A soup with a half sandwich or bread on the side is considered two dishes and will not be accepted.
• Think Substitutes: Recipes that use summer produce can often be made with winter vegetables instead. For example, zucchini and peppers in your favorite chili recipe could be replaced with a mixture of root crops. Remember, creative and greater use of seasonal and local vegetables gives you a higher "local ingredient" score.
• Consult the Experts: Talk to your School Food Service staff, local chefs and farmers, and your friends to get recipe ideas.
• All recipes must be submitted to the Jr Iron Chef VT by December 1, 2012 for review.
• All preparation and cooking must happen onsite, during the Competition portion of the event. Teams are allowed to practice making their dish prior to the event, but may not bring any components of the dish that they prepared ahead of time to the competition. Keeping in mind, dishes should fit into food service time demands. For example, it is not practical to make tortillas from scratch in a school kitchen. In that case, you may use store bought tortillas.
• No desserts are allowed. 
• Dishes may not contain nuts, meat, poultry, or fish. 
• Any savory item is permitted including entrées, side dishes, soups, sandwiches, salads, finger foods, and snacks.

All dishes must feature at least 5 (more is better) of the following seasonal Vermont ingredients.  These ingredients will be provided by Vermont Jr Iron Chef the day of the competition. 

Vegetables and Fruits

• Apples
• Beets  
• Carrots
• Celeriac                       
• Onions
• Parsnips
• Potatoes
• Rutabaga
• Squash (cubed)
• Turnips

Grains

• Black Beans (cooked)
• Jacob's Cattle Beans (cooked)
• Wheat Berries (cooked)
• Cornmeal
• Whole Wheat Flour

Dairy

• Buttermilk
• Cheddar Cheese
• Cottage Cheese
• Milk
• Plain Yogurt
• Sour Cream

Plus

• Eggs
• Pure Maple Syrup (Grade B)
• Pure Vermont Honey
• Tofu
• Tempeh

The above ingredients will be provided to teams on the day of the competition based on team requests submitted with your recipe.  Teams may use any other ingredients in your dish but must bring those ingredients to the competition.  Teams are encouraged to use fresh, whole ingredients, local products, and federal commodity foods that are available to School Food programs.  Contact your Food Service Director for a list of these commodities.

NOTES:

• Local ingredients that you bring from home will not count towards your minimum of 5 local ingredients, although we encourage you to source additional ingredients from your local farmers.
• Local ingredients must be integral to the dish and included in the recipe. Garnish will not count towards one of the 5 local ingredients. For example, a dollop of sour cream on top of chili would count as local. Chives on top of the sour cream would be considered a garnish- great for presentation but would not count as one of your local ingredients.

Questions? Contact: sheusner@bsdvt.org.

AWARDS AND PRIZES:

There will be three awards granted in each competition heat (morning and afternoon) for both the Middle School and High School Competitions. 

• Best in Show — incorporates great colors, textures, and taste for a true crowd pleaser
• The Lively Local Award — best highlights Vermont foods

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Web: www.jrironchefvt.org
Email: info@jrironchefvt.org
Phone: 802-434-4122