Cookoffs are a great way for businesses to get low cost advertising in front of potential customers as well as a great team building opportunity that is fun and delicious! We encourage kid teams ages 10-18 to compete. The entry fee per team is just $50. Here are a few established guidelines:
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Teams must consist of at least 2 members but no more than 10 members.
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Team entry fee includes 10 tickets. (NOTE: Team tickets can be sold at $12 each to cover entry fee and most of the ingredient costs.) See our macaroni math to estimate the cost of ingredients.
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The minimum age for a team member is 10.
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Teams can consist of but are not limited to businesses, restaurants, caterers, schools, churches, social societies, fraternal organizations, municipalities, and other informally formed teams.
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Macaroni noodles or preferred pasta can be boiled prior to the event.
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ONLY one additional ingredient per team can be prepared ahead of time within 24 hours of the event. Examples include smoked or slow roasted meats. A brief, time stamped video including the beginning prep and end of cooking process must be submitted.
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All other food prep, assembly, and cooking must be done at the event site on the day of the event.
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Cooking methods are provided by and at choice of each team. (i.e. griddle, grill, burner, and generators can be used.
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In order to submit multiple categories for blind judging, you must also offer people choice sample for those categories.
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10' tent, 8' table, 4 ounce serving cups, napkins, spoons, and forks will be provided by Mac Down.
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Day of event details and schedule can be found here.
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All judging is done through blind entries.
Award categories include:
Overall judge's vote
Overall people's choice
Overall kids team (ages 10-18) people's choice
Best classic - Cheeses only
Best veggie
Best vegan
Best meat - Chicken, beef, pork
Best seafood
Best other - This includes macs with ingredients such as Fritos, Cheetos, cornbread, cornflakes, crackers, special sauces, etc. that do not also include veggies, meat, seafood from other main categories