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rules & guidelines Please review all rules & guidelines below prior to the Jr. Iron Chef event. If you have any questions please contact us.
team guidelines
  • Each team is 3-5 students and 1 adult Team Supervisor.
  • Teams can be any combination of students, ages 8-19.
  • Each team must have an Adult Team Supervisor who is present for the duration of the competition. Team Supervisors must be a parent or assigned volunteer. Requests must be made in advance for organizer volunteers.
  • Each team is also permitted, but not required to have a Team Coach. The Team Coach could be a food service professional, chef, or foodie who helps the team create and practice a recipe in preparation for the event. (Please see Team Coach Description for additional details.)
  • Only students may cook during the competition. The Team Supervisor and/or Coach may provide hands-off guidance in cooking techniques and safety.

Entry Fee

There is $50.00 entry fee for each team. Entry fees should be paid by check payable to:
AAFA-KC

Scholarships are available to those who qualify. To request a scholarship, please email info@juniorironchefkc.org.

Permission Slip/Release Form

Each team member must submit a signed Parental Permission and Release Form.

Team Entry Fee and Permission Forms must be postmarked within two weeks of submitting the on-line application, or your application will be erased and you will need to reapply.

Send checks (made out to AAFA-KC) and permission forms to:

AAFA-KC
400E. Red Bridge Road, Suite 214
Kansas City, MO 64131

Download a PDF version of team guidelines here.

recipe submittal

Teams must submit the recipe they will be cooking at the competition for review prior to the event. Junior Iron Chef, Kansas City challenges teams to create a healthy, delicious, food allergy friendly dish. Recipes will be checked for the following cooking criteria:

  • Taste: Is the flavor delicious? Is it kid-friendly?
  • Appearance: How does the dish look on the presentation plate? Is it appealing to the eye?
  • Creativity: Is this an original recipe? Is it creative?
  • Food Allergy Friendly: Does the recipe cater to a particular food allergy? (This is confirmed when recipe is approved and food allergies will be identified on your judging rubric.)
  • Nutritious: How many nutritious ingredients does the recipe use? Are those ingredients highlighted by this dish?
  • Replicable: Can this dish be replicated by others? Does it utilize ingredients that are readily available? Is the recipe time/cost affordable?
  • Any savory item is permitted including entrées, side dishes, soups, sandwiches, salads, finger foods and snacks.
  • No desserts are allowed.
  • Dishes may NOT contain peanuts, tree nuts or shellfish.
  • Adherence to all Junior Iron Chef, Kansas City Competition rules.

Your recipe should make five 8 oz. servings. Two of your servings will be plated as demonstration plates. One of these will be sent to the judges to see how the plated dish looks, and one will be put on display for attendees to see. The remaining three servings need to be split into twelve, 2 oz. servings. These are the servings that the judges will taste.

equipment

Junior Iron Chef, Kansas City WILL provide:

  • Aprons for all team members
  • Food service gloves
  • Hairnets
  • Taste-test serving utensils for judging
  • Table covers

All teams MUST bring:

  • Cleaning supplies
  • Dish cloths and paper towels
  • A large tub to carry all cooking supplies back to your home base. Note: There will be no dish cleaning on location.
  • Heavy-duty (at least 12-gauge) 3-prong extension cord

Facilities at the Competition:

  • A bucket for trash and compost

Teams MAY bring:**

  • A bucket for trash and compost
  • Electric Heating tools are allowed* NO GAS OR OPEN FLAME TOOLS ARE ALLOWED!
  • Blender and/or food processor*
  • Non-electric hand tools (e.g., immersion blenders, whisks, mixing spoons, etc.)
  • Cooking pots and pans
  • Cutting boards and knives
  • Pot-holders and trivets
  • 2-3 gallons of water for cooking Note: There is no water available for cooking or cleaning at the competition.
  • Hats and/or uniforms
  • Team signs/décor to put on your cooking station
  • Copies of your recipe for the audience

* If you are bringing an electric utensil (e.g., blender, food processor, etc.) you MUST bring a heavy-duty 3-prong extension cord
** All team equipment should be labeled with your team name

Teams MAY NOT bring:

  • Any gas or open flame heating tools
  • Microwaves: The competition cannot support this type of electric demand.
  • Your own plates/utensils for judging presentation. All food entries will be presented on uniform plates to be provided.

If you have questions about competition tools, equipment and/or need help acquiring equipment, please contact the coordinators at info@juniorironchefkc.org.

tips

Here are some tips to keep in mind while you are preparing for the competition.

  • Teams are encouraged to use original recipes. If you are using a recipe from a known source, you must credit that source.
  • Think Substitutes: Recipes that use summer produce can often be made with winter vegetables instead.
    • For example, zucchini and peppers in your favorite chili recipe could be replaced with a mixture of root crops.
  • Consult the experts: Talk to your school food service staff, local chefs and your friends and family to get recipe ideas.
  • All recipes must be submitted to the Junior Iron Chef, Kansas City prior to the event.
  • All preparation and cooking must happen onsite, during the competition portion of the event. Teams are allowed to practice making their dish prior to the event, but may not bring any prepared components of the dish to the competition. Keeping in mind, dishes should fit into food service time demands. For example, it is not practical to make tortillas from scratch in the time allotted. In that case, you may use store bought tortillas.
  • No desserts are allowed.
  • Dishes may NOT contain peanuts, tree nuts or shellfish.
  • Any savory item is permitted including entrées, side dishes, soups, sandwiches, salads, finger foods and snacks.
awards & prizes

There will be three Top Awards granted:

  • Best in Show
  • Most Creative
  • Best Food Allergy Recipe

Get your hats on, knives ready and don't miss this opportunity to win up to $3,000! Wow local chefs and celebrity judges to take home one of the three top prizes - each awarding $1,000 to the winning teams.

location & schedule

Union Station, Kansas City, MO
Friday, June 15, 2012

Check In: 12:30 PM

Team Setup: 1:00 PM

Cooking: 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM

Judging/Clean-up: 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Awards: 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM