COMPETITION CATEGORIES

JUDGING CRITERIA

• For categories 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10
  
  Plated Starters / Tapas, Finger Foods and or Snacks / Show Platter Meat, Game, Poultry (Cold) / S how Platter Fish, Shellfish, Mollusks (Cold) / Plated Main Course / Plated Main Course Middle Eastern Cuisine / Three Course Menu / Vegetarian Platter / Plated Desserts with Showpiece / Petit Fours with Showpiece

  Composition, Originality	10 Points
  Correct Preparation	10 Points
  Practical, Up-to Date Serving	10 Points
  Presentation	15 Points
  Menu, Ingredient List and Recipes	5 Points

• For categories 11, 12, and 13
  
  Novelty Cake / Wedding Cake / Bread Selection and Baked Bread Dough Showpiece

  Degree of Difficulty	20 Points
  Artistic Achievement	15 Points
  Creativity	15 Points

• For categories 14
  
  Decorative Showpiece Theme Related to "Flowers and Trees of Egypt"

  Relation to Theme	10 Points
  Degree of Difficulty	20 Points
  Artistic Achievement	15 Points
  Creativity	15 Points

AWARDS & CERTIFICATES

SPECIAL AWARDS

Special awards for individual competitors with the highest scores will be given as follows:

• Egyptian competitor with the highest score in category 1 till 8
  
• Egyptian competitor with the highest score in category 9 till 13
  
• Egyptian competitor under the age of 24 with the highest score in category 1 till 8
• Egyptian competitor under the age of 24 with the highest score in category 9 till 13
• Establishment with the highest overall medal score in both hot kitchen and pastry categories with a minimum score of two medals in category 1 till 8 and two medals in category 9 till 14 will be awarded the ECA Culinary Trophy 2008. Please note only one medal (the highest one)maximum per establishment scored in the showpiece categories (13 and 14) will count in the overall medal score for the ECA Culinary Trophy 2008.

PLEASE NOTE

• No religious or political displays and or show pieces will be allowed for the exhibition, these items will not be judges and will be removed by the jury.
• All exhibits will be judged the day of exhibition. Merit Certificates winners will be announced at 4.00 PM.
• Medals and Certificates will be awarded on 10 June at the discretion of the judges subject to a satisfactory standard being reached in each category.
• In case of dispute, the guidelines as laid down by WACS will apply.
• The Judging Committee for categories 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 will comprise of international experienced professional Executive Chefs, and for categories 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 of international experienced professional pastry chefs.
• Any medals or certificates that are not accepted by the competitor or his/her helper at the presentation ceremony will be withheld, unless prior arrangements are made with the organizers.
• Medals and certificates presentation ceremony will be held for all categories on Tuesday 10 June, at 6:00 pm at the InterContinental Citystars, Al Saraya ballroom.

RULES AND REGULATIONS OF PARTICIPATION

Please read the following carefully. The instructions herein are mandatory. Non-compliance with any of the points mentioned could lead to disqualification.

1. The Egyptian Chefs Association (ECA) a member of the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS) is the body responsible for the salon and the investiture of the salon organizing committee.

2. Participation in the National Salon Culinaire is open to any Egyptian professional chef, pastry chef, bakery chef and kitchen artist who is currently employed at a recognized catering or hospitality establishment.

3. Each individual contestant is allowed one helper to assist him/her with arriving equipment, setting up, etc. No other help is allowed to a competitor.

4. All competitors and assistants MUST wear freshly laundered chef's uniform with headgear when setting up, and during the award presentation ceremony. If a competitor or/and his assistance is incorrectly dressed during the setting up or the award presentation ceremony he/she will either be disqualified or the awards will be withdrawn from him/her.

5. Competitors should attend to, unpack and display their exhibits on the day and time specified by the committee.

6. While it is in the best interest of competitors to keep their exhibits in a clean and attractive condition, NO exhibits may be removed until the specified time for removal, nor will any interference with goods entered for the competition be allowed after exhibits have been submitted for judging.

7. All exhibits of perishable nature must be removed as specified by the committee, failing to do so the committee shall have the authority to disperse, remove or destroy any exhibit not removed by the exhibitor. TIME FOR CLEARING THE EXHIBITS WILL BE ON Tuesday 10 June AT 7:00 PM OR AFTER THE AWARD CEREMONY.

8. Exhibits MUST be of EDIBLE PRODUCTS ONLY.

9. Competitors must ensure that no name/logo of his organization/hotel is visible to the judges during judging.

10. Competitors PLEASE NOTE that points will be deducted if the complete or part of the display is not kept within the space limit allocated.

11. The organizer shall not under any circumstances be responsible for the loss or damage of any exhibit, goods, and dishes or personnel belongings. However, reasonable precautions will be taken to avoid loss or damage.

12. All exhibitors and competitors at the National Salon Culinaire 2005 assign all rights concerning menus, recipes, videos, photographs, sound recording, advertisement etc. to the Egyptian Chefs Association.

13. The organizer is entitled to cancel or postpone the salon, or alter the duration, timing or schedule of the event.

14. The organizer reserves the right to cancel any category or limit the number of entries or extend, modify or revoke any of the rules and conditions without being held liable for any claims for compensation whatsoever.

15. The registration fees are not refundable in case of cancellation or withdrawal of the competitor.

16. The organizer reserves the right to redefine, modify or add to any of the above rules and conditions and their interpretation of these is final.

GUIDELINES

• Ingredients and side dishes have to be in harmony with the main piece as to quality, taste and color
• For classical dishes, the original recipe is applicable (in case of doubt, Escoffier shall prevail)
• Platters must not present pompously piled up classical ideas, but modern culinary art served up in an efficient manner, i.e. dishes carefully prepared and finished that may be considered to constitute wholesome and healthy nourishment in the sense of dietetics

• Appropriate, culinary impeccable and healthy preparation, free of unnecessary additions and ingredients. The exhibitor assures that the exhibits have been produced and prepared completely by himself. If this assurance is not given, the jury will not judge the exhibit
• Clean, correct cut of meat
• Meat English style has to be roasted a point, i.e. pink, so that no blood comes out in the process of glazing with aspic
• The platter should not look unattractive by meat and vegetable juices.
• Vegetables have to be cut in an exact expert way.
• For better preservation, side dishes should not be overcooked.
• Artificial thickening may be used for whipped cream, whipped white of egg, creams etc
• Dishes, conceived hot but exhibited cold, must be glazed with aspic (for preservation purposes)

• Economy and time spent have to be taken into consideration
• Plate dishes should correspond to actual service, rule of dump: 1/2 of a la carte dish
• Pompous plates should not be used
• Plate bottoms must not be mirrored
• Meat slices have to be arranged before the remaining piece of meat with the cut in the direction of the viewer, and not as they fall when cut, to allow the guest to serve himself quickly and without any difficulty
• Artificial ways of serving, salad leaves, bunches of parsley, tomato halves & roses, radishes, whole Truffles do not belong on a cold or hot restaurant plate
• Egg dishes are served on glass or china plates only
• If eggs are served on silver plates, they must not get in touch with the plate
• Paper should only be used under dishes fried in the frying pan, not otherwise
• If textile napkins are used, they should be underlined by paper doilies.
• Meat, fish, vegetables and sweets should not get in touch with textile.
• Small croutons are not considered to be bases
• Plate rims should remain free
• Tinfoil, wax, wood and similar things do not go together with cooked dishes and have to be avoided
• The coloring of aspic, especially in color glazing and unrelated for the treatment of food, is unsanitary and undesirable
• If fruits are used, meat should be garnished only with small fruits, thin fruit slices, etc.

• The size of the plate must be adequate to the dish and the number of persons
• Dishes should be nicely served and be in perfect harmony
• Main dish and decoration should be in conformation as to size and colors
• The weight of a serving should correspond to normal, consumable quantities and according with recognized rules
• The plates should not give the impression of being overloaded
• If necessary, side dishes have to be served separately
• Sauceboats should be filled to 1/2 only
• Vegetables which are not precisely cut or which are formed into shapes lead to a reduction of points