Clarity and Professionalism of Written Recipe – Recipes must be clear and easy to follow, they should have a title and include type of course. Recipes must also include a complete list of ingredients in order of preparation, with exact U.S. measurements, and step-by-step preparation instructions. Plating, serving size, prep time, cooking time and temperature must be included. (25 Points)

Use of Maine Lobster as a Primary Ingredient – Maine lobster must be present in the recipe as the primary ingredient, which is then complimented and accompanied by all other ingredients. All recipes must be considered nutritionally responsible. (25 Points)

Appearance and Plate Presentation (photo required) – All written recipes must be accompanied by a photograph. Recipes must be presented beautifully on the plate, and have an appetizing appearance, making the eyes want to eat the dish before you smell or taste it. Plate presentation must match description in written recipe. (25 Points)

Taste and Aroma (people’s choice) – Judging for taste and aroma will take place at a cook-off event, after the three finalists with the highest scores in the written recipe phase have been chosen. The taste-test will include the three finalists preparing 250 samples of their dish for a People’s Choice cook-off at the Harvest on the Harbor event, where a final winner will be selected. Judges may consider perceived taste and offer 10 bonus points

PRIZES
Maine Lobster Chef of the Year Contest Winners will recieve:

• Prestigious Title: Maine Lobster Chef of the Year
  
• Prize Money: $1,000 Grand Prize, $500 for runners up
  
• Publicity for you and your restaurant: All finalists recieve exposure in top newspapers, consumer and industry magazines, and television, as well as a spotlight on the Maine Lobster Promotion Council website
  
• Customer Recognition: Finalists will recieve commemorative plaques to display in their restaurant

NOTIFICATION
Finalists will be notified by the Maine Lobster Promotion Council, using the contact information provided with recipe submissions. Dates and times for press events, Harvest on the Harbor cook-off,  and other details will be posted as they are finalized.

CONDITIONS
By submitting a recipe, the entrant agrees to the use of his/her name, photo, and recipe submission in any form of publicity or trade promotion proposed by the Maine Lobster Promotion Council, and by their submission, authorizes and agrees to such publication without compensation other than the winning prizes. Personal contact information will not be sold or shared for any other purposes.

Taxes are soley the responsibility of the winning parties.

MORE ABOUT THE COMPETITION...
The Maine Lobster Promotion Council celebrates the peak lobster harvest season with its annual Maine Lobster Chef of the Year cook-off. The cook-off is aptly part of the larger Harvest on the Harbor event sponsored by the Portland Convention & Visitor’s Bureau.

Three finalists are chosen for their original recipes featuring Maine Lobster from recipe submissions by chefs and culinary professionals statewide. The finalists will compete for the title before an audience of 200 lobster enthusiasts, journalists and industry representatives.  The audience will watch each of the chefs demonstrate their recipes, will taste a sample of each the three recipes and will vote for their favorite.

An independent panel of culinary professionals judges the recipe submissions, and to ensure an impartial judging process which is based solely on the merits of the recipes submitted, the chef’s names and the names of their restaurants are removed.

Our judges for the 2011 competition included: Chef Wilfred Beriau, Professor of Culinary Arts at Southern Maine Community College in South Portland, and Chef Steven Corry of Five Fifty Five restaurant in Portland and Chef Rob Evans of Hugos restaurant in Portland.

The audience vote will determine the Grand Prize winner. The runners-up will receive $500.00. The winner will receive the prestigious title ‘Maine Lobster Chef of the Year 2010’; $1,000 prize money; publicity for the winning chef and their restaurant; and a spotlight on the popular Maine Lobster Promotion Council website.

Presented by the Maine Lobster Promotion Council.
The Maine Lobster Promotion Council was founded by the lobster industry and is funded by lobster license holders. The council represents the interests of the entire Maine lobster industry, including harvesters, dealers and processors, and markets and promotes the sale of Maine lobster worldwide. The Council encourages the education and training of all customers in handling, preparing, serving, promoting and selling Maine Lobster.