Young Chef Competition at The Chef's Academy

The Indianapolis Bailliage of the Chaine des Rôtisseurs will host its local Young Chef Competition at The Chef's Academy, 644 East Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204, on Sunday, February 20, 2011, at 8:00 a.m.

This competition is open to young cooks in Indiana who are under twenty-seven (27) years of age and who are employed full-time by a Chef or Maître deemed to be in good standing with the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs.

Each competitor will receive an identical mystery basket. After examining the mystery basket, competitors will have thirty (30) minutes to compose a three-course menu of their choice prepared for four (4) people, consisting of individual plates for Appetizer, Main Course, and Dessert. Only after the 30 minutes has elapsed are the competitors allowed to commence preparation at their designated kitchen station. They then have three (3) hours to prepare the items and must begin their presentation to the Jury within their designated 30 minute window (10 minutes for each course, consecutively, and strictly timed). Each of the three courses will be judged independently by the following criteria:

- Taste (maximum 15 points)
- Presentation (maximum 5 points) and
- Originality (maximum 10 points).

In addition, there will be a kitchen judge who evaluates each competitor on:

- Kitchen Techniques (maximum 35 points)
- Organizational Skills (maximum 15 points)
- Product Utilization (maximum 15 points)
- Professionalism (maximum 20 points)
- Sanitation (maximum 15 points) and
- Timing (In case of a delay in the presentation of a course, one point will be deducted from the competitor’s score for every minute late in an individual time slot).

The winner of the competition is the chef who accumulates the highest point total out of the maximum possible score of 460 (four tasting judges x 90 points each plus one kitchen judge x 100 points). In the event of a tie, the title will be given to the competitor with the highest score in taste; if still undecided, the highest score in presentation will be used.

Additional Information:

Chaîne des Rôtisseurs (http://www.facebook.com/l/0b770cq_fn-ZCpslBynHgKr7teA;www.chaine-des-rotisseurs.net/) is an international gastronomic association dedicated to bringing together both professional and non-professional members worldwide who appreciate and share a mutual interest in cuisine, wine and fine dining. Originally founded in 1248 in France, it was banned by the royal family during the French revolution, but it was resurrected in 1950 and currently has chapters in over 70 countries, including the United States. As part of the philanthropic outreach of the organization, a Young Sommelier and a Young Chef (Jeunes Commis) competition are held each year. In the United States, these competitions often begin at the local level at various locations throughout the country. The winners of the local Young Chef competitions have the opportunity to move on to the regional competition (March 18 and 19 in Cincinnati, OH), and the regional winners progress to the national finals (June 23-26 in San Antonio, TX). The national winner then competes in the international competition (September 9 in Istanbul, Turkey). This year's international winner was from South Africa (http://www.facebook.com/l/0b77053m76U8iKeOMuEOjTaJJIw;www.chaineus.org/). Additional details regarding the Young Chef competition can be found on the following Web site:http://www.facebook.com/l/0b7703m-6QUeJSINZp9mZbaTKmA;www.chaineus.org/Members/EducationandSupport/JeunesCommisYoungChefcompetition.aspx.

For this competition, the Chef's Academy will provide their kitchen space and the following individual equipment:

- Gas stove with 4 burners and an oven, a stainless working table with an accessible sink for each competitor
- Refrigerator space (at least three shelves per competitor) - Freezer space (at least one shelf per competitor)
- Food processors (at least 1 for 2 competitors)
- Mixer with whisk and paddle (at least 1 for 4 competitors)
- Kitchen scale (at least 1 for 2 competitors)
- Small equipment for the kitchen and in sufficient quantity for each competitor: large cutting board and a meat/fish/poultry board (one for each competitor), strainers (different sizes), chinois, mixing bowls (different sizes), small bowls or containers, measuring pitchers, kitchen spoons, rolling pin, wooden spoons, large whisks, small whisks, baking sheets, sauté pans, non-stick pan, sauce pan (various sizes), sauce pot, pepper mill, plastic stretch film, aluminum foil, trash bin, hand sink, paper towels (one role per competitor), side towels, aprons, parchment, string and acetate (clear only)
- Plates: white, round, without additional markings or decoration and of the following sizes:
Appetizer: 10"-12"; Main Course: 12"; Dessert: 10"-12"; Optional: deep dish plate not larger than 12" - First aid kit and a plan for medical assistance, if needed, and
- Water for the kitchen judge, competitors and helpers, and a clock visible (not digital) to the competitors.



Competitors may bring their own knives, ring molds, cutters, vegetable peelers, blowtorch, skewer (only for cooking), small spoons, scoop, oven towels, piping bags with tips, spatulas.

Competitors may not bring cell phones, turning slicer, cooking utensils not found in the kitchen, mandoline (any type), recipes, pasta machines, individual use ice cream machine, dishes for displaying courses, transfer acetate, formulas or drawings not developed during the 30 minute menu writing period and any tool that the Conseiller Culinaire determines would give an individual an unfair advantage in the competition.

Awards Banquet

Competitors will be invited and encouraged to attend, as guests of the Indianapolis bailliage of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, the gala awards banquet where the competitors will be honored and the winner of the competition will be announced. This banquet will be held at Meridian Hills Country Club, 7099 Spring Mill Road, Indianapolis, IN 46260, at 5:30 p.m. Chef Joe Miller and his staff will be preparing a multi-course extravaganza with selected wine pairings that will highlight the evening.

Entry

If you are interested in participating in this competition, please send the following items to the Indianapolis Young Chef Competition Committee attreyholland@mac.com:

- current contact information
- updated resumé, including date of birth and
- a short (approximately 150 words) essay explaining both your interest in the competition and your long term goals in the culinary field.

These materials must be received no later than 6:00 p.m. on January 28, 2011. The committee will select not less than three (3) and not more than four (4) young chefs for the event. All applicants will be notified of their status no later than Tuesday, February 1, 2011.