Food for Thought with Alex Bielak - The top 4 ingredients for judging food fests

The top 4 ingredients for judging food fests (Judging Soupfest - Part 2)

A few weeks back I had the privilege to adjudicate a new award at Soupfest 13. Joining me in deciding who would win the “Foodie Choice” award were the Spec’s GoCooking Co-ordinator, Karen Aquino, Dave Hanley of Pop-up Hamilton, Food Blogger Amanda Kinnaird of Inspire Hamilton, and another busy Food Blogger around town, Chanry Thatch.

While largely informal, such competitions can be hotly-contested. As Nina Ruelens, Executive Chef of the 4th Course Bistro at Copetown Woods alluded to in the first part of this article, the results of being judged by peers, and others in the industry, matter.

We were there as individuals with both knowledge of, and great passion for food, rather than as “celebrity” judges or participants. (The latter often generously appear at such functions for publicity/promotional reasons, but might not have much relevant expertise beyond liking good food.) I’ve been personally involved in judging several such competitions now (ChilliFest, Battledish,
Chef’s Street Fight) and always had a great time, learning lots along the way.

I also recently had the opportunity to observe at close quarters as world-famous chef Susur Lee presided over a panel refereeing an Iron Chef contest in Kitchener-Waterloo in support of the culinary program at Conestoga College. There is a palpable intensity that comes with the responsibility of being a judge, and Lee and his fellow judges were very focussed. They debated every element of each dish, the way the key ingredient had been transformed, and the plating. All in great detail.

So, at the Soupfest judges table, we also seriously deliberated the merits of each offering. Afterwards I canvassed my colleagues about what was important for both organizers of, and competitors in, such events to bear in mind to achieve success. (Note I’m not talking more formal or culinary Olympic level events which have strictly defined criteria competitors must follow and are assessed on.)

Based on that discussion, and my own experiences, here are the top four ingredients for judging food fests:

1. If possible set things up to avoid judging bias. (Soupfest handled this well. The soups were identified by number only and we had no clue as to which establishment had produced which offering.) If the judges are walking around (i.e. stopping by food stations or visiting different establishments), make sure they are well identified (e.g. with an appropriate judge’s badge) and have a “home base” they can return to, confer in private with others, and complete their paperwork before they hand it over.

2. Help the judges succeed. Dedicate a volunteer to getting them what they need. Find them a quiet spot to work in. Pace the dishes so judges have time to properly taste each of them, have water and plenty of cutlery on hand, and be prepared to serve up seconds, usually as they are trying to make a final choice.

3. It’s best if the judges have some time to meet one another before the event, even if it is virtually, or for a few minutes just before they begin to taste the food. Think about and advise them of your marking scheme and criteria, but understand they may end up throwing out your carefully-crafted spreadsheet and do their own thing.

4. If feasible give each judge their own dish/portion rather than making them all dig in to the same plate. Particularly if there is meat involved, don’t make the judges try to cut it with a plastic fork on a soggy paper plate. Been there. It’s not a pretty sight.

There are some additional do’s and don’ts, based on our collective Soupfest experience, but which might also inform restaurants competing in other culinary showdowns:

Chefs need to think about common allergies or dislikes as they craft their dishes. That’s not to rule out shellfish, gluten or nuts, or cruciferous vegetables (for which some folk carry a gene that makes such items taste particularly nasty) as ingredients, but to say that they will need to make the contents clear to customers and judges alike. On a practical level, inclusion of such ingredients might diminish the pool of folk that might have voted for their dish.

“Add texture to the soup, but make it appetizing - creamy or chunky - anything in between is just mush,” said Thatch. “Have fun with flavours and get creative, but just ‘cause it all gets puréed doesn't mean you can throw anything in there.” She also cautioned “Don't throw truffle oil on everything just to be fancy, and be mindful of the final colour of your soup - no one wants to eat brown or grey liquid.”

Aquino noted the whole Soupfest experience was “fantastic”. She wanted to know at least the name of the soup prior to tasting it, feeling some of the flavours were not sufficiently distinct, making it hard to keep the offerings separate. She and Kinnaird would also have liked bread on the table at the outset, to help clear the palate in between tastings.

“The restaurants know there are 24 or 25 other competitors and they are looking for something that will stand out, be cost effective for them, be manageable in portability and will hold for an entire day,” said Aquino. “That is a difficult task so by keeping the ingredients simple, allowing the flavours to be built, rather than be added using garnish will get them a better result in the end…” Kinnaird concurred: “Simple is best (and) too many complex flavours don't a good dish make. Fresh, local (if available) in-season ingredients are what make (any dish) stand out.”

Aquino recommended the KISS approach to restaurants in terms of their soup selection, reminding them to bear in mind the size of the vessel in which the soup was served and to use that as a gauge for the size of ingredients. “Think about garnish and the role it plays,” added Thatch.

One competitor balanced a chicken wing atop the relatively small serving container: Aquino found eating it is fussy and messy. Though it was tasty, I thought it just detracted from the soup. Garnishes were problematic in general: some became soggy by the time they made it to the judge’s table and, once again, ended up taking away from the dish rather than enhancing it.

Aquino also noted certain ingredients are heavier than the broth, such as the blue cheese that was in one of the soups. Until she got to the bottom she was unaware it was part of the flavour profile and found getting it at the end unpleasant.

Hanley fessed up to not really knowing “that much about making soup,” but felt it should be thought of as a whole rather than the sum of its parts. Ultimately “innovation can't eclipse taste,” he said.

Amen. And I can’t wait till Soupfest 14!

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Alex (Alex can be reached at fft@thehamiltonian.info or on twitter @AlexBielak)