2nd Annual Texas Mac n’ Cheeze Off Competitor’s Guide
Read ALL and apply at the BOTTOM!
Get ready to Mac Off with your…We don’t know!
We’re so excited to have you compete in our 2nd Annual Texas Mac n’ Cheeze Off competition on Sunday, September 16th at 11am!
The event will take place at CRAFT at 4620 East Cesar Chavez Street
We’ve put together this guide to help get you ready for what we hope will be a wonderful event for you, your friends, Austin and veganism!
THE BASICS!
Have an amazing, tried and true vegan recipe!
TIP: Have some of your family and friends be your taste testers! Be mindful of seasoning and spice!
Make sure all ingredients are VEGAN. Not sure about your ingredient list? Email Britty at britty@atxvegans.org
This year, at least HALF of all participants MUST have Gluten Free recipes. This ensures that our guests (your voters) are able to taste most dishes - and it benefits you! If you are able to provide MORE people with samples, guess what...that's more votes. This means that we might be turning people away if they don't match criteria - If your tried-and-true-can't-go-back-now recipe has gluten, you better sign up QUICK, because those gluteny spots will fill up fast.
Each competitor will be able to sample the other team’s recipes. In the event that some cooks may come up short with their quantities, you may miss a few. So, for the benefit of your fellow competitor's taste buds and bellies, please make enough to cover 300 tasting servings. If in doubt, make more, but 300 is the minimum.
Note: Based on ticket sales, the number of minimum samples may change! We’ll advise, if that happens.
COMPETITION DAY!
aka What to Do on Sunday, September 16th
NOTE: There will be NO kitchen on site. Therefore, all food must be prepared in advance.
Check-In
Competitor Check-in will begin at 9:30am.
When you arrive, you will check in with the team at the venue. We will have a dedicated table to check in with your assistant, receive your table assignment, meet your volunteers and get any additional information for the event!
You and your assistant must arrive no later than 10:30am!
Your Team
If you are competing alone, you may bring an assistant with you to help. Your assistant will not need to purchase a ticket. Please provide their name to britty@atxvegans.org so we may add your assistant to the guest list.
If you’re competing in a team of 2, you may NOT bring an assistant. Why? Because you’re assisting each other!
We will be providing volunteers to help set up and hand out supplies.
Load-In/Set-Up
You will be set up with a pair of tables that you will share with one other competitor (1/2 each). One table will be for preparation. The second will be for display and sampling. The tables are approximately 6 x 3’.
Supplies
The organizers will provide the following for competitors:
- 6’ tables (One for prep, one for serving/display for each competitor)
- Chairs (2 per table)
- Team Name and Numbered Sign
- Tablecloths
- Sample-sized souffle (2oz) cups
- Latex-free gloves for serving
- Plates and utensils for attendees and judges
- Napkins
What you should bring:
- Any supplies that you may need to prepare at your table: serving trays, knife, spreader, serving spoons, apron, etc.
- 3 copies of your recipe with ingredient list, noting any allergens (ex. Nuts, soy, gluten/wheat, etc.)
- Signs/banner, props, etc. to make your display fun (If you want to wear a costume, GO FOR IT!)
- Of course, your mac & cheeze entry with a minimum of 300 samples
- If you’d like to use an electric appliance (hot plate, crockpot, warmer, etc) for your mac & cheese, please contact the organizers for approval in advance. We are in the process of checking whether or not we can use electricity in the facility! Please plan on using non-electric methods of heating your Mac!
- Recommendation: If using a chafing dish, please bring a couple of gallons of water to fill them
What NOT to bring:
- Non-vegan food items
- Unapproved serving cups. We’re providing 2oz. souffle sampling cups for the event! If you’d like to place your cup in a decorative item, contact the organizers for approval in advance
- Items to sell! You will NOT be vending! (Yes, we’ve been asked this) – IF you want to sell items, you must separately apply to be a vendor and pay appropriate fees.
Reminder: You will have 90-minutes maximum to prepare before the doors open at 11:00am! You do NOT need to have all your samples out at one time. Be ready to start giving out samples by 11:30!
The Food
Arrive with your delicious dish prepared. Again, there is NO kitchen at the venue. You may use the set-up time to do last-minute things such as applying garnish, sauce, seasoning, and displaying them on your table, etc., but please allow enough time for that. Sampling will begin by 11:30am at the latest, after welcomes, introductions, voting rules, etc. have been reviewed by the event’s emcee.
The venue will allow you to use sternos to keep food heated at the event. They may not be the best environmental option, but they do their job. If you think you’ll need a hot plate or plan to bring a crockpot/slow cooker, let us know ASAP so we may check with the venue. Those tend to trip circuit breakers. In either case, there can be no smoke created from cooking.
The Tasting
Sample Size
How big should your samples each be? We will be providing 2oz. or 4oz sample souffle cups to each competitor. Each cup should contain at minimum 1oz. of your dish to be judged and may include any sauces or garnishes you plan to add. Your sample may not exceed the size of the cups provided.
Attendee Tasting
Tasting will begin at 11:30am, following the event welcomes, introductions and rules are announced by the emcee.
Each competitor will be assigned a number based on their table placement. Those numbers will be reflected on the voting form, along with competitor’s name and entry name. Therefore, if you did not provide a name for your dish to us, please email it to britty@atxvegans.org
The Voting
Judges
There will be 3 judges evaluating entries for prize(s). Each judge will receive a sample of all the competitors’ dishes. Each judge will receive a voting form with the competitor’s assigned number to keep track and properly cast their votes for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and Most Original.
Judges' votes are worth the equivalent of 3 tickets. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places will be determined by a combination of attendee votes and Judges’ votes. Most Original will be determined strictly with Judges’ votes.
When all votes have been confirmed, we will make a formal announcement on the event’s Facebook page and through ATX Vegans’ social media channels.
The Winners
There will be winners announced for the following:
- 1st Place - Golden Elbows trophy, prize pack & bragging rights
- 2nd Place - prize pack
- 3rd Place - prize pack
- Most Original – Some Kind of Something to Commemorate the Occasion and a prize pack!
Therefore, there are FOUR opportunities to win a prize, compliments of ATX Vegans and the event sponsors. It is possible that the Most Original and those who place 1st, 2nd or 3rd could be the same winner.
Prior to the winners’ announcement, we’ll invite all competitors to the stage to give thanks for a job well done!
Other Important Things
Ticket Sales
General admission tickets are $15.00 in advance for Adults ($25 at the door), $25 for kids at the door as well, and includes samples of all entries, 3 voting tickets, goodies from our sponsors, etc.
Proceeds from this event benefit ATX Vegans.
If you’ll have an assistant, your assistant does not need to purchase a ticket. Please email britty@atxvegans.org with your assistant’s name at least 48 hours prior to the event to have them added to the guest list.
Marketing
As we get closer to the event, we will be ramping up marketing through social media and other channels. We may ask you to provide us with photos of your mac & cheeze (if you have them), for which you will receive full credit in any publication. Should media ask for words from competitors, we may reach out to you to get permission and to put you in touch.
Social Media
When spreading the word via social media. Please tag ATX Vegans (@atxvegans) and use at least one of the following hashtags:
#txmacoff2018
#txveganmac2018
#veganmacoff2018
Fun Stuff
We hope to include a couple of fun activities with the competitors and audience. Details on those will be coming soon!
We understand… LIFE happens...
If for any reason you need to cancel your participation, please contact Britty at britty@atxvegans.org! We will have alternates at the ready to take your place. The sooner you let us know, the more time they will have to prepare.
Event Changes?
If there are any changes made by the hosts or venue, we will contact you ASAP.
We look forward to seeing you on Sunday, September 16th! May the mac & cheeze odds be forever in your vegan favor!