2014 4-H Rules

Great American Seafood Cook Off:

4-H Edition

2014

1. All participants must be 4-H Club members in 9^th through 12^th grade.  Please provide the number of years each team member has been in 4-H and the name of the 4-H club they belong to. 
2. Teams will consist of 2-4 members.
3. Each state may enter one (1) team only.
4. Participating states must register their team by submitting the Pre-Registration form to contest coordinator Quincy L. Cheek qcheek@agcenter.lsu.edu in order to secure a spot and guarantee $500 reimbursement from the LA Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board.
5. States must register individual participants by July 25, 2014 – signed “Code of Conduct” from each individual along with proper health forms are due on this date.
6. Recipes for dishes must contain no more than 750 calories per serving (serving size 3-4 oz.) and should be submitted to contest coordinator no later than July 25, 2014 COB. 
7. Recipe format:
   
   1. Margins should be 1 inch around
   2. State and County/Parish should be listed in upper right hand corner BOLD.
   3. Title of recipe must be in Times New Roman font size 24 pt., BOLD and centered
   4. Double space below title.
   5. Ingredients and steps of recipe must be in Times New Roman size 12 pt.
   6. Ingredients must be listed in the order they are used and no abbreviations are allowed. 
   7. Please make sure the recipe states the number of servings. 
   8. Recipe should not contain excessive amounts of fat and sodium. 
   9. Nutritional information should be included at the end of the recipe steps.  Include serving size, calories per serving, total fat grams per serving, and sodium per serving in milligrams.
8. Transportation and booking of accommodations to New Orleans will be the complete responsibility of the participating states/teams. 
9. The purchase of any supplies and ingredients used in the Great American Seafood Cook Off: 4-H Edition is the responsibility of the participating team.
10. Each competitor must wear black pants, white shirt and closed toe shoes.  If closed toe shoes are not worn, the team member out of dress code will be disqualified.  Chef Coats & Hats are permitted.  Props for a particular theme may be included in attire or as accessories.  Any props for theme will be purchased at the competitor’s expense.
11. Each competitor must wear a hat, hair net and/or hair restraint during the food preparation part of the competition.  Acceptable forms of hair restraint will be to the discretion of contest officials. 
12. All competitors must refrain from having nail polish and jewelry that could fall off during food preparation.  Fingernails should be short and clean – false nails/tips are not permitted as this will be grounds for disqualification.

A safe and sanitary working environment must be maintained.  Gloves do not have to be worn throughout the competition, but proper hand washing technique will be required and expected throughout the competition.

13. 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.
14. Each team must bring a supply box (es) to the New Orleans cook-off.  Supplies in the box should include but not limited to bowls, dishes, small appliances, knives, cutting boards, utensils, etc to prepare and plate their dish at the competition.
15. Competitors must use USA domestic seafood, preferably Gulf Seafood (refer to list provided) in their dish.  All seafood will be inspected by contest officials to determine country of origin.  Failure to provide proof of country of origin could result in disqualification of the team.  Consultation with contest coordinator prior to the event to provide proof or origin of seafood used at the GASCO: 4-H event is permitted. 
16. It is in the best interest of the teams to use other Agricultural Commodities from their respective states in the dishes they present. 
17. No branded products will be endorsed or displayed prominently in a work station.
18. No advance cooking or preparation of the dish will be allowed.  Pre-cut vegetables and peeled/deveined crabs and shrimp are permitted. 
19. Oral presentations must be prepared in advance. 
20. All members of the team must participate in the presentation, preparation and clean-up of the contest.
21. Each team will have 60 minutes to prepare the recipe/dish; plan a presentation outline; and clean up the preparation area.
22. Each team participating will prepare (5) five identical plated servings of their entrée, garnished and served appropriately.  Suggested serving size is 3-4 ounces.  One plated serving will be delivered to each of the 4 judges, and 1 will be available for the media to photograph and sample.
23. Only participants, judges and contest officials will be allowed in the food prep areas.
24. Any interaction between 4-H Youth participants and 4-H Agents and/or parents in the observation area will be grounds for disqualification.