Rules and Regulations of the Mason Dixon Master Chef Tournament
Basic Competition Rules and Scoring System
A total of 16 teams will compete for the title of Mason Dixon Master Chef
2012 during the tournament.
Participating Teams will consist of one executive chef, one sous chef,
and one assistant each.
Two teams will compete each night of competition.
Competing chefs are executive chefs currently working in the Baltimore/Washington
Metropolitan area.
Competitions will be held each week on two different evenings for 8 weeks.
Chefs will have one hour to plate up three courses an appetizer, entree,
and dessert.
Each Chef will also produce 28 amuse bouche size portions of their entree
to be passed out to 'Judge Experience' ticket holders as well as randomly
selected audience members. These 'Guest Judges' will be able to taste the
chefs' entree courses and score them on presentation, creativity, and taste.
Each chef team will plate up three plates of each course to present to
the judging panel (three judges per competition night). Teams will alternate
presenting their courses (Team 1 will present appetizer, then Team 2 will
present appetizer, etc.)
Scoring
Judges will score the three courses based on plate presentation,
creativity, and taste. Each judge will be able to give a total of 8 points
for plate presentation, 8 points for creativity, and 9 points for taste.
The combined points will be added up from all the judges and averaged
for a total score out of a possible 75 points.
The remaining possible 25 points will come from the Guest Judges score
cards, and will be calculated as a percentage of the average score each
chef receives.
Scores from the Expert and Guest Judges will be added together, and the
winning score and Chef Team announced. In the event of a tie score, the Expert
Judges' decision will be final.
Potential chef candidates must currently work in the Baltimore/Washington
Metropolitan area, and must be at least 18 years of age
All competing chef's must sign a waiver provided by Mason Dixon Master
Chef prior to the competition
Chefs must be available to compete on both Monday and Tuesday competition
days throughout the entire competition
Chef must complete this tournament Contestant / Chef Application completely
including picture in chef uniform preferably in front of their respective
restaurant showing the restaurant name
Once the pool of chefs are selected, the pantry list for all competitions
will be given out to all chefs so they are aware of all products that will
be on site for them to use
Equipment list for all competitors will be provided including chef tools,
blenders, cooking equipment on the competition floor
Chef's will also have access to the heavy equipment kitchen located off
of the competition floor
Chefs must use provided tools; no knifes or other tools may be brought
in
Each chef is allowed to bring a helper / sous chef with them to help with
the competition as well as an assistant to help with clean-up
Competing chefs are required to arrive at the competition at least one
hour prior to event start to check-in, set-up, check equipment and supplies
Chef will be supplied with the evenings' protein and standard pantry
items (list of products in pantry will be provided prior to the event)
Chef will be responsible for bringing any fresh produce or other special
raw ingredients they require for the evenings competition; no food may be
prepped prior to the competition
Each chef will be required to produce three courses: an appetizer, entrée,
and dessert using only products from the pantry and the featured protein
Each chef will have one hour to produce the three courses and plate up
all three courses for the each of the judges, as well as 28 bite size portions
of the entrée to be given out to the selected 28 patrons for judging. All
the courses and bite size portions for judging will be plated on china supplied
by Mason Dixon Master Chef
The executvie chef from each team must be on the show floor at all times
At the end of the hour cooking contest each executive chef will present
their food to the judging panel and the audience
While the competition is going on the chefs will be on a microphone so
that the audience can hear what is going on in the kitchens
Chefs may also be photographed or taped for marketing or promotional purposes
during the competition event
There will be a Chef MC who will be communicating with the contestants
and the audience during the competition
Judging will be based on the following criteria: plate presentation, creativity/originality,
taste
Each of the three expert judges will be able to award up to 25 total points
for all three categories: 8 points for plate presentation, 8 points for
creativity, 9 points for taste
The audience participants that received both samples from the chefs will
then fill out their scoring cards based on the same criteria and point values
as the expert judges; the scores will be added up and the average will be
the percentage of the 25 points the chef receives from the audience
Both scores will be added together and a winner declared; expert judges
decisions are final
Chefs competing in tournament certify that they meet all eligibility requirements
and that participation is not in violation of any employment or other agreement
Signature on this application gives Mason-Dixon Chef Tournament the rights
to use Chef's name, likeness, and background details as provided above for
any marketing materials related to this event, including but not limited
to use on the world wide web, printed materials, video, press releases,
and advertisements
Chef's will be required to provide Mason Dixon Master Chef with a written
copy of the recipes they prepare for the competition the Friday before each
competition they are participating in, these recipes will become the property
of Mason Dixon Master Chef, LLC
Chef's signature indicates they have the right to authorize this use without
violation of any employer or other agreement already in place
Every effort has been made to make the tournament a safe event, however
Chef waives all liability claims that may arise from participation in this
event, including injury
Mason Dixon Master Chef reserves the right to reassign dates or replace
chefs in the bracket schedule should it become necessary (i.e., a chef must
drop-out of the competition, become ill during the run of the tournament,
violates any tournament rules, etc.)
Mason-Dixon Chef Tournament will not be liable for cancellation or postponment
of tournament in the event of acts of God or terrorism that are out of the
control of organizers
Chef and team is responsible for returning all competition jackets at
the end of each night, the restaurant will be charged for any jackets not
returned
Attendance required at food show/kick-off event to be held on June 19th
at Blob's Park in Jessup, MD
Restaurant Responsibilities
Restaurant is responsible for payment of a one-time $750 entrance fee,
which includes: the right to compete (the restaurant owns the completion
slot - if a chef cannot compete for any reason, they can substitute another
chef from their restaurant in his/her place), 10 complementary tickets to
the first round of competition, and 10 complementary tickets to the second
round if their chef advances, thier logo displayed on the Mason Dixon web
site with a link the restaurant's web site, and promotion at event as determined
by the restaurant and Mason Dixon Master Chef
Restaurant commits to have a team of three (chef, sous chef, bus person)
at each competition date in which their restaurant is competing
Restaurant commits to promote the Mason Dixon Master Chef Tournament
at their restaurant (via poster placement, table tents, postcards, etc.);
Mason Dixon Master Chef will work with the restaurant to determine the best
marketing plan for each restaurant
Restaurant commits to promote MDMC on their restaurant's web site, FaceBook
page, and Twitter account
Attendance required at food show/kick-off event, to be held on June 19th
at Blob's Park in Jessup, MD
All restaurants must sign a contract/wavier prior to competing
