Calling all home chefs!
The Parish Festival’s annual Cook-Off has returned, and we are searching for Magdalen’s most talented cooks in the three categories: chili, cookie, and pie. Use the link below to register your team for any of the three contests, and keep reading for more information on rules and guidelines for the competition itself. There is no cost to register a team.
The Parish Festival will begin at 5:30 pm on Saturday, October 10, following the 4:30pm Mass. The Cook-Off officially takes place between 5:30 and 6:30pm, with the winner announced around 7:00pm.
Each category will name one champion and one runner up, based on votes cast by the Magdalen community. The voting process is subjective, and the winner will be determined by total votes cast.
You are welcome to begin setting up your serving station as early as 2:00pm on Saturday, and all teams must be set up and ready to go by 4:30pm. Teams are required to provide their own tables, chairs, serving utensils, decorations, and heat source (if needed). We will not have access to electricity on Saturday, so foods that are served warm (such as chili) will need to be warmed by propane, generator, or other heating method. If you do not have access to a table, or need other special accommodations, contact Ben Maerzke at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or 443-989-8911.
Once Fr. Marstall says the blessing, the competition officially begins. Tasting will occur from the start of the event until 6:30pm, after which all votes will be collected and counted. Also starting at 6:30pm, you may begin serving larger portions of your food if you wish. Clean up should begin at 6:45pm, and all teams should have their areas cleaned up by 9:45pm. 
Entrants into the chili category should cook minimum of 2 gallons of chili, although more than this is fine. This minimum ensures that your team will have enough chili to distribute tastings to the community tasters. You will have around 250 people visit your station. There is no penalty for running out of chili, but people who don’t taste your chili won’t vote for you!
There are no restrictions on ingredients or cook methods; however, you should be prepared to answer any questions that a visitor might have regarding your ingredients (particularly common allergens, dairy, nuts, or gluten) on the day of the event.
You are required to provide your own table, decorations, and heat source. Tasting cups and spoons will be provided. We will be set up in the fields behind the school, and will likely not have access to electricity.
Entrants into the cookie category should bake a minimum of 50 cookies if serving ¼ portions, or a minimum of 200 cookies if serving whole cookies or small cookies. This minimum ensures that your team will have enough samples to distribute to tasters. You will have around 250 people visit your station. There is no penalty for running out of cookies, but people who don’t taste your cookies won’t vote for you! So you may want to bake more than this.
There are no restrictions on ingredients or cook methods; however, you should be prepared to answer any questions that a visitor might have regarding your ingredients (particularly common allergens, dairy, nuts, or gluten) on the day of the event.
You are required to provide your own table and decorations. Tasting cups will be provided.
Entrants into the pie category should bake a minimum of 5 pies if baking standard 9-inch rounds. This minimum ensures that your team will have enough samples to distribute to tasters. You will have around 250 people visit your station, and you will be distributing samples of around 1 tablespoon. There is no penalty for running out of pie, but people who don’t taste your cookies won’t vote for you! So you may want to bake more than this.
Tip: Since samples are distributed in tasting cups, you can make things easier on yourself by baking only a single “pretty” pie for show, and batching the rest of your pie filling and crust in a larger pan for scooping into tasting cups.
There are no restrictions on ingredients or cook methods; however, you should be prepared to answer any questions that a visitor might have regarding your ingredients (particularly common allergens, dairy, nuts, or gluten) on the day of the event.
You are required to provide your own table and decorations. Tasting cups and spoons will be provided. 
When you arrive to set up, your team will receive a chalkboard sign, a mason jar for collecting voting tokens, and tasting cups and spoons. Your team name must be written on BOTH the sign and the voting jar.
Once you have collected your items from the main tent, you should choose a station in your respective category field and begin setup. A properly set up table should display a team name, prominently position a jar for collecting votes, and be prepared to serve samples to tasters. Have fun with it! Feel free to decorate your station, serve drinks or snacks to accompany your competition entry, or post signs advertising your product. None of this is required, but adds to the fun of the day!
Tasting will occur between 5:30 and 6:30pm, and you will be visited by around 250 tasters during that time. There should be a team member present at your table at all times to serve samples and answer questions.
The winner will be determined by total votes cast, and the voting process is subjective. Tasters will have 3 votes in each category, and can distribute their votes as they see fit between their favorite entries. Please note: Each category uses a unique token for counting votes. When a taster drops a token into your voting jar, please make sure they are using the proper token for your category, as votes cast using the wrong token will not be counted.
The last call for votes will be at 6:30pm, and the results will be announced live at 7:00pm. All teams should begin packing up their stations by 6:45, and should be completely packed up by 9:00 pm.
If you have any questions now, the day of, or any time in between, you can contact Ben Maerzke by text or phone call at 443-989-8911 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
You should also expect a follow-up email from Ben, once you have registered your team, with more details about the setup and voting process.
Happy Cooking!
