General Guidelines for Competitors at ESC '2001

1) Read the rules and Regulations carefully. Being familiar with them will save you from making technical mistakes. More medals are lost due to technical mistakes than to any other reason.
2) If you are not sure of anything to do with the competition, speak with your Executive Chef or Head of Department. Ask him to contact the Guild by fax for clarification if required.
3) Dress yourself and your helper properly for the competition. The penalties for dressing incorrectly are fixed and mandatory.
4) The rule governing the acceptance of awards will be strictly enforced. If you win an award make sure that you, or someone on your behalf, will be there to accept it at the award ceremony. Consult with your Executive Chef or with the organisers before the ceremony if you are having problems.
5) Co-operate with the organisers at all times, they are there to help you and to ensure that the salon runs smoothly and fairly.
6) Judgement of prepared or cooked dishes begins with an assessment of the recipe or description. Make sure that your recipes are typed, and that your written descriptions are clearly legible.
7) Do not take up more than your allotted space on the exhibition table, you will lose points if you do.
8) Ensure that it is practically and economically possible to reproduce your exhibit in a commercial kitchen under normal working circumstances.
9) Avoid any flights of fancy or rare or costly ingredients when you are composing your dishes.
10) Always work within your capabilities. Do not set your aims too high.
11) Ensure that your exhibit conforms to the brief outlined in the Classes for Entry. The class briefs are part of the rules and regulations.
12) Showpieces where mentioned in the class brief will be judged as part of the exhibit, otherwise they will not be judged.
13) Keep your written description (when required) as short as possible without losing clarity. You are allowed to have someone else write the description for you.
14) Garnishes should harmonise with the dish; in colour, ingredients and the number of persons for whom you are catering. 
15) Table decorations, unless specified otherwise, are not part of the judging criteria and will not gain you points. 
16) Do not over-garnish or over-decorate your exhibition space.
17) Keep non-edible decorations, socles, bases, etc., to a minimum. If it is possible, it is better not to use them at all.

18) Keep plate rims clear. Use only the well of the plate for displaying food.
19) Meat dishes should be cooked to the pink stage so that no blood escapes during glazing or decorating.
20) Meats should be displayed with the carved surface showing.
21) Aspic should be of the appropriate colour for the dish, e.g. crystal for fish, tan for beef.
22) Artificial binders may be used for creams, sauces, etc. to help keep them from collapsing.
23) Extra gelatine may be used in glazed dishes.
24) Sauce-boats should only be half-filled.
25) Portions must conform to the number of persons for which the dish is designed. 
26) Do not make portions too large. 
27) Vegetables, if used, must be precisely cut or uniformly turned. 
28) Use paper underlay only with food that has been deep-fried.
29) Hot dishes displayed cold should be served on dishes designed for hot food. Not on buffet mirrors or the like.
30) Food prepared hot but presented cold may be glazed with aspic to maintain its good appearance. However, dishes/platters displaying hot food should not be decorated with aspic.
31) Use only dishes/platters of a material suitable for presenting food hygienically.
32) Avoid cluttering your dish/platter with too many garnishes.
33) Display eggs only on glass, glazed earthenware or porcelain unless they have a protective layer beneath.
34) Avoid cloudy or garishly coloured aspic, or beads of aspic on food or platters.
35) Avoid excessive food colourings.
36) Do not use tarnished or poorly maintained silverware.
37) Do not use moulded or top-heavy sculptures.
38) Do not let game in fur or feather touch other foods.
39) Avoid garnishing dishes with inappropriate decorations, e.g. raw items with cooked foods.


To Contact the Organisers:
The Emirates Culinary Guild 
PO Box 11803
Dubai - UAE
Tel: 050. 6451129
Fax: 04. 3473742
Email: jathong@emirates.net.ae