Cook-off
Encyclopedia
A cook-off is a cooking
competition
where the contestants each prepare dishes for judging either by a select group of judges or by the general public. Cook-offs are very popular among competitors (such as restaurants) with very similar dishes and serves as a way to decide which recipe is the best for that particular dish.
, in which competitors prepare their own particular recipe for chili con carne
and submit it for taste testing. A cook-off may be an informal gathering with the simple goal of sharing recipes and enjoying food, or it may be a large-scale event with an official panel of judges and substantial prizes for winners.
The Chili Appreciation Society International (CASI) sanctions over 550 cook-offs annually that raise over $1,000,000 for charity. Corporate CASI, which has the function of sanctioning all of these cook-offs, doing the necessary work to tabulate cookoff results, and putting on the annual Terlingua International Chili Championship, has an annual income of approximately $250,000. Out of this annual income around $60,000 goes to charity. The CASI is a 501(c)(3) corporation.
The International Chili Society (ICS) organizes chili cook-offs as fundraiser
s. Its annual cook-offs are on a grand scale, with regional qualifying events that attract tens of thousands of participants and a "World Championship" cook-off held in October. The ICS has raised millions of dollars for charity while still awarding hundreds of thousands of dollars to winners.
As early as 1970, many communities have hosted non-ICS cook-offs, leading to a competing "World Championship" cook-off in Terlingua
, Texas
.
Notable cook-offs include:
The Louisiana Seafood Cook-off took place on Saturday, May 23, 2009. Louisiana is known for its multitude of delicious seafood and talented chefs, but there can only be one King of Louisiana Seafood and at the Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off, presented by the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, Chef Tory McPhail of Commander's Palace was awarded the title. The 2008 Louisiana Seafood King, Chef Brian Landry of Galatoire's, was there to hand over his crown to the new king. McPhail represented the state at the Great American Seafood Cook-off.
At the Great American Seafood Cook-off, the finest chefs from around the country show their skills in seafood preparation. The 2009 Great American Seafood Cook-off, which drew chefs from 15 different states, was held Saturday, July 18, in New Orleans for the sixth straight year. The event, which has featured both up-and-coming and celebrity chefs over the years, underscored the importance of cooking with domestic seafood and encouraged the use of products from sustainable fisheries
. Chefs must use domestic seafood from their home states, and the event encourages the use of products from sustainable fisheries.
Tory McPhail, executive chef of Commander's Palace in New Orleans, was crowned "King of American Seafood." New Jersey's Peter Fischbach, executive chef for Gourmet Dining Services at New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, captured second prize, while Alaska's Patrick Hoogerhyde, executive chef of WildFin Seagrill in Anchorage took home third.
The Great American Seafood Cook-off is funded by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), audited by the National Fisheries Institute (NFI), and endorsed by the National Restaurant Association (NRA).
The Great American Seafood Cook-off is featured on Public Broadcasting System (PBS) and Food Network.
Past winners:
Cooking
Cooking is the process of preparing food by use of heat. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely across the world, reflecting unique environmental, economic, and cultural traditions. Cooks themselves also vary widely in skill and training...
competition
Competition
Competition is a contest between individuals, groups, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources. It arises whenever two and only two strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment. For...
where the contestants each prepare dishes for judging either by a select group of judges or by the general public. Cook-offs are very popular among competitors (such as restaurants) with very similar dishes and serves as a way to decide which recipe is the best for that particular dish.
Chili cook-off
A chili cook-off is a social event, similar to a barbecueBarbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
, in which competitors prepare their own particular recipe for chili con carne
Chili con carne
Chili con carne is a spicy stew. The name of the dish derives from the Spanish chile con carne, "chili pepper with meat". Traditional versions are made, minimally, from chili peppers, garlic, onions, and cumin, along with chopped or ground beef. Beans and tomatoes are frequently included...
and submit it for taste testing. A cook-off may be an informal gathering with the simple goal of sharing recipes and enjoying food, or it may be a large-scale event with an official panel of judges and substantial prizes for winners.
The Chili Appreciation Society International (CASI) sanctions over 550 cook-offs annually that raise over $1,000,000 for charity. Corporate CASI, which has the function of sanctioning all of these cook-offs, doing the necessary work to tabulate cookoff results, and putting on the annual Terlingua International Chili Championship, has an annual income of approximately $250,000. Out of this annual income around $60,000 goes to charity. The CASI is a 501(c)(3) corporation.
The International Chili Society (ICS) organizes chili cook-offs as fundraiser
Fundraiser
A fundraiser is an event or campaign whose primary purpose is to raise money for a cause. See also: fundraising. A fundraiser can also be an individual or company whose primary job is to raise money for a specific charity or non-profit organization...
s. Its annual cook-offs are on a grand scale, with regional qualifying events that attract tens of thousands of participants and a "World Championship" cook-off held in October. The ICS has raised millions of dollars for charity while still awarding hundreds of thousands of dollars to winners.
As early as 1970, many communities have hosted non-ICS cook-offs, leading to a competing "World Championship" cook-off in Terlingua
Terlingua, Texas
Terlingua is a mining district in southwestern Brewster County, Texas, United States. It is located near the Rio Grande and the Texas villages of Lajitas and Study Butte, Texas,as well as the Mexican village of Santa Elena. The discovery of cinnabar, from which the metal mercury is extracted, in...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Notable cook-offs include:
- the ChilympiadChilympiadThe Chilympiad, a Texas tradition held annually in the second week of September since 1970, may be described as the Olympics of chili cooking. It originated in San Marcos, Texas at Aquarena Springs, but in 1974 was relocated to its permanent headquarters at the Hays County Civic Center, also in...
in San Marcos, TexasSan Marcos, TexasSan Marcos is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, and is the seat of Hays County. Located within the metropolitan area, the city is located on the Interstate 35 corridor—between Austin and San Antonio....
(for men only) - the Hell Hath No Fury Like A Woman Scorned cookoff in Luckenbach, TexasLuckenbach, TexasLuckenbach is an unincorporated community thirteen miles from Fredericksburg in southeastern Gillespie County, Texas, United States, part of the Texas Hill Country. It consists of between South Grape Creek and Snail Creek, just south of U.S. Highway 290 on the south side of Farm to Market Road...
- the Chili Appreciation Society International Chili Championship in Terlingua, Texas
- the Frank X. Tolbert/Wick Fowler World Chili Championships in Terlingua, Texas
- the Lone Star Chili Cook-offLone Star Chili Cook-offThe Lone Star Chili Cook-off is an annual chili cook-off held during May in New York City. The event is organized and run by the New York Texas Exes and the Texas A&M Club of New York, local alumni chapters of the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University respectively...
in New York City
Seafood cook-off
A seafood cook-off is an event in which competitors prepare their own particular seafood dishes to submit to a panel of industry judges for taste testing.The Louisiana Seafood Cook-off took place on Saturday, May 23, 2009. Louisiana is known for its multitude of delicious seafood and talented chefs, but there can only be one King of Louisiana Seafood and at the Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off, presented by the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, Chef Tory McPhail of Commander's Palace was awarded the title. The 2008 Louisiana Seafood King, Chef Brian Landry of Galatoire's, was there to hand over his crown to the new king. McPhail represented the state at the Great American Seafood Cook-off.
At the Great American Seafood Cook-off, the finest chefs from around the country show their skills in seafood preparation. The 2009 Great American Seafood Cook-off, which drew chefs from 15 different states, was held Saturday, July 18, in New Orleans for the sixth straight year. The event, which has featured both up-and-coming and celebrity chefs over the years, underscored the importance of cooking with domestic seafood and encouraged the use of products from sustainable fisheries
Sustainable fisheries
Sustainability in fisheries combines theoretical disciplines, such as the population dynamics of fisheries, with practical strategies, such as avoiding overfishing through techniques such as individual fishing quotas, curtailing destructive and illegal fishing practices by lobbying for appropriate...
. Chefs must use domestic seafood from their home states, and the event encourages the use of products from sustainable fisheries.
Tory McPhail, executive chef of Commander's Palace in New Orleans, was crowned "King of American Seafood." New Jersey's Peter Fischbach, executive chef for Gourmet Dining Services at New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, captured second prize, while Alaska's Patrick Hoogerhyde, executive chef of WildFin Seagrill in Anchorage took home third.
The Great American Seafood Cook-off is funded by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), audited by the National Fisheries Institute (NFI), and endorsed by the National Restaurant Association (NRA).
The Great American Seafood Cook-off is featured on Public Broadcasting System (PBS) and Food Network.
Past winners:
- Year 1: Chef John Besh--LA
- Year 2: Chef Randy Evans--TX
- Year 3: Chef Justin Timineri--FL
- Year 4: Chef Tim Thomas--GA
- Year 5: Chef John Currence--MS
- Year 6: Chef Tory McPhail--LA
- Year 7: Chef Dawn Williams Girard--MS
External links
Mackinac Island Chili Cook-off, held each February on this remote Island in the Upper Midwest- Chili Appreciation Society International, a national/international cook-off organizer and promoter of chili for charity
- Piedmont Pepper Pod, the North Carolina subgroup of CASI
- International Chili Society, a major cook-off organizer
- Munich, Germany's long running chili cook-off
- Lone Star Chili Cook-off Texas style Chili Cook-off in New York City
- American Seafood Cook-off
- NOLA.com
- VisitBigBend.com - International Chili Cookoff
- The Food Experiments, a NYC-based cookoff series