2016 Muddy Chef Challenge Judging Revisions

To put it mildly, the judging at the MCC4 was “challenging”.  Too many judges, judges that wandered off during the contest and my personal favorite – a smartphone app that we tested extensively prior to the event, stopped working half way though the judging.

It seemed that every time we tried to correct the course of the judging we encountered more and more problems.

So, to that end we are implementing the following changes in advance of the event.  We believe these changes will address the majority of issues. As always, your comments and ideas are welcome.

Judges Routes through the Campsite during the MCC:

The judges will follow a pre-defined route through the campsite.  They will not deviate from that route.  That way participants will always know the approximate location and timing of the judges.  This will hopefully eliminate problems with locating the judges and assist competitors with timing their food.

Also, we are reducing the judges significantly.  We are keeping each category to five judges in total for each course.  Wherever possible we are seeking highly qualified food experts to anchor each judges panel.

Appetizer:

Five Judges

Main Course:

Five Judges

Desert:

Five Judges

 Judging Categories:

• Presentation
• Taste
• Aroma
• Creativity
• Locally Sourced Ingredients
• Pairing

 Local Ingredient Use:

One judge will verify this information.   This judge will go from campsite to campsite to verity your use of local ingredients.  Participants should post receipts in an easy to verify location.

Those are the changes we see making for 2016.  If you have ideas let us know.  We look forward to seeing you at the Muddy Chef Challenge and our other regional events next year!