​Registration
All competitors must register in advance of the competition. There will be a maximum of 20 contestants total (10 professional, 10 amateur).  Once capacity is reached, new registrants will be placed on a waiting list, which has no guarantee of competition. Competitors are teams of a maximum of 2 people.



An “amateur” is someone who engages in cooking as a pastime rather than profession. A “professional” is someone who engages in cooking as part of their profession or has specialized expert knowledge of culinary arts.



Entry fee is 150 RMB per registered team of one contestant and one assistant or no more than two people in one team. The entry fee is NON-REFUNDABLE.



Judges must register in advance of competition. Judging of the competition will be done by selected registered judges only. Competitors and assistants must still register as judges and may not judge any category in which they are competing.



​Competition
Each competitor will receive one kit containing:
          - Butane portable stove

          - Disposable gloves

          - Hand sanitizer
          - Paper towels
          - Rules
          ** Please note: no outside cookware is permitted.



Competitors must bring the following:
          - Frying pan

          - Spatula
          - Cutting board
          - Knife
          - Ingredients to make sandwiches for each category entered plus more for event samples

            (sandwiches will be cut into quarters).

          - Appropriate coolers and storage containers to hold ingredients in sanitary manner. Be sure to

            label your things.



Onsite, you will be assigned a station. Be prepared to cook at least 2 sandwiches for the judges and at least 20 per category for attendee samples. When handling foodstuffs, all competitors will wear sanitary, disposable gloves.



Competitors may not use supplies or tools from other competitors. Competitors that steal from others will be shunned and disqualified from competition.



Only ONE sandwich may be submitted per category.

Assistants are not permitted to hand out samples to the judges. When a competitor has a completed sandwich, a volunteer will collect the sandwich and deliver it to the judges as that competitor’s entry. One sandwich will be cut into quarters and one sandwich must remain whole. In the event of a tie, competitors may be required to repeat the grilling of the sandwich again.



All grilling will be done in 45-minute heats. Each competitor will have only 45 minutes per category to complete their grilling.



​Sandwich Categories
           Variations on a Classic* – Any type of butter**, cheese, and bread. No additional

           ingredients
           Anything goes – Any type of bread, cheese, butter, and additional ingredients.  The

            sandwich must be 60% cheese. ​

           Taste of Asia – Asian influenced sandwich, 60% cheese

                  * "Classic" American refers to real butter, cheese, and white bread. This category is NOT included for competition.

                  ** See definitions



Key Definitions

Cheese – Made from milk of any animal or nut.
Bread – Any flour-based and/or baked thing that looks like “bread.”
Butter – all sandwich lubricants will be referred to as “butter.” Flavored butters and oils are not permitted in a “Classic American,” a category NOT included for this competition ie does not apply for "Variations on a Classic." ​



​Judging

Each sandwich will receive a score out of a maximum of 10 points from each judge. The collective scores from each judge will be averaged to determine the final score. Points are awarded as follows:
           Appearance – How does it look?
           Taste – How does it taste?
           Texture – How is the mouth feel?
           Style – How is this sandwich unique?

​

Attendees will have the opportunity to vote for "Best Overall" grilled cheese sandwich for the grand prize.

Prizes will be given to the winner of each category.