COOK TEAM
2024 Cook Teams
Become a Cook Team!
STEP 1: Please read the Cook Team Quick Reference Below in it’s totality.
Cook Team Quick Reference
- The Wing Wars of Acadiana Festival is a fundraising event benefiting homeless children in our communities by the Gifting Grace Project, Inc. EIN 86-2431236. We ask that everyone who participates please keep this first in mind.
- This document is for quick reference only. Please read in detail the Festival Rules and Guidelines.
- There is NO Cook-Team Registration Fee for 2024’s event. The committee has decided to accept each Cook-Teams commitment to providing 500 servings of wings to the event as their fee to enter. If a Cook-Team is in need of sourcing their chicken wings through a distributor, you are welcome to place your order with the Committee by May 1st and we will have them available to pick up the week of the event.
- Cook-Teams can enter to compete with Traditional/Bone-in Wings and/or Boneless Wings.
- Cook-Teams can compete in the Professional Division or Ameteur Division for the Traditional/Bone-In Category. (Professional Division includes restaurants, food trucks, caterers, chefs or other formal culinary business training or experience. Ameteur Division includes seasonings company’s, realty companies, sauce companies, church groups, civic clubs, oilfield companies, etc.)
- This is a sampling event. We do not allow full-size plates of food to be served from any Cook-Team.
- Booth space will be approximately 10’X10’. Tent’s or coverings are strongly encouraged. 25lb weights are required to be on all 4 corners of your tent.
- Cook-Teams can begin setup at 6:30 am on May 18th, 2024 at Parc International.
- Food Trucks are allowed to be used by Cook-Teams for cooking purposes ONLY. There will be reserved parking nearby outside of the park. Every Cook-Team must have a booth space to serve from inside the park.
- All Wings Cook-Teams are required to compete in the cook-off competition.
- Cook-Teams will prepare a total of 500 servings of wings. (flats and drums or boneless). If a Cook-Team chooses, they can compete in the Traditional Category AND the Boneless Category but must cook 500 servings of each.
- All wings are a part of the Cook-Teams commitment to participate in the cookoff and a donation to the event. It is the responsibility of each Cook-Team to provide the wings they participate with.
- Wings will be cooked on site the day of the event. You may pre-marinate or pre-season your chicken.
- Optional: Side Items: You are allowed to sell (for tickets) TWO side dishes of your choosing (such as macaroni and cheese, fries, pickles, waffles, etc.). This is a sampling event so portion sizes should be kept small (2 to 4 oz). The price is predetermined by the vendor however it must stay between $1 and $4 in tickets. (Tickets are valued at $1ea and will be paid back at .80 cents after the close of the event).
- Cook-Teams will provide ALL ingredients for their wings, cooking equipment, ice, tables, chairs, tent, sanitation supplies (hand sanitizer/paper towels). May want to also bring an extension cord.
- ALL COOK TEAMS ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE THEIR OWN FIRE EXTINGUISHER. Please make sure that it is rated for your particular use.
- Samples should be ready for serving to the public between _11:00_ AM and _4:30_ PM
- Blind Judging will begin around __11:30__ AM. We will announce when it is time to have your samples ready to be picked up.
- Blind Judging will be based on Presentation, Aroma, Taste and Originality.
- Acadiana’s Choice Award voting will end at 4:15pm.
- Awards are as follows:
“BEST BONELESS WINGS” – JUDGE’S CHOICE AWARD – 1st, 2nd & 3rd Place
“BEST TRADITIONAL WINGS” – AMATEUR DIVISION – JUDGE’S CHOICE AWARD – 1st, 2nd & 3rd Place
“BEST TRADITIONAL WINGS” – PROFESSIONAL DIVISION – JUDGE’S CHOICE AWARD – 1st, 2nd & 3rd Place.
“ACADIANA’S CHOICE AWARD” (Voting by Festival Attendees) – 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place.
OVERALL WINNER – “TOTAL KNOCK-OUT CHAMPION” – BEST WINGS IN LOUISIANA (Votes are a total sum of blind Judging and Festival Attendees.) 1st Place ONLY. - Winners will be announced between __4:30 and 5:00__ PM.
- There is a NO-SHOW FEE of $250.
- Teams can start tearing down at 5:00 PM. NO EARLIER.
- The Team Captain MUST attend the mandatory “Captain’s Meeting” which will be scheduled on the FRIDAY prior to the event. May 17th, 2024.
- Each Team Member must check-in upon arrival at the CHECK-IN TENT the morning of the Event.
- AT NO TIME IS YOUR BOOTH ALLOWED TO BE UNMANNED DURING THE TIMES OF 11AM to 5PM.
- There will be a brief Team Captains meeting at 10:00 AM the morning of the Event under the Judge’s Tent.
- The Team’s Captain will be held responsible for the conduct of his Team and his guests. Under NO circumstances are wings, beverages or side dishes to be distributed (given away or sold) to the general public by any Team Member without the exchange of an appropriate ticket.
- The Wing Wars of Acadiana Festival Committee and Gifting Grace Project, Inc. emphasizes that this is a “family-friendly” event and expects the Cook-Team members to conduct themselves in a professional and respectful manner.
- UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL WE TOLERATE ANY VULGARITY, PROFANITY, SEXUAL INNUENDO, HARASSMENT OR OFFENSIVE BEHAVIOR. Yes we will have fun but those kinds of actions are unacceptable.
- NO SMOKING within the tent area. Each Team should provide their own bucket of sand for cigarette butts disposal outside of Parc International. If cigarette butts are left on the grounds of the park at any time by any of your Team Members, the Festival Committee and Gifting Grace Project, Inc. reserves the right to impose additional fines as necessary.
- This is a rain or shine event. The Event will be held as scheduled, regardless of weather. Cook-teams and vendors should come prepared to protect themselves against the elements (i.e. sun, rain, wind, etc.). 30 lbs. (minimum) sand bags or comparable are highly recommended to anchor tents, canopies, etc.
- No refunds or exchanges will be given due to a weather event.
- No refunds will be given due to failure to comply with Health Department codes.
- Violations of rules and regulations of the contest will result in disqualification, expulsion, and/or disqualification from future participation in the Festival.
By submitting this application, the cook-team/participant is agreeing to the following rules:
Cook-Team must be present on the day of the festival. The Cook-Team must not consume alcohol while on duty. No handguns, firearms orbweapons are allowed in this festival. The Wing Wars of Acadiana Committee reserves the right to refuse or eject any person from the festival for violation of any rules, local, state, or federal laws or whose conduct is deemed illegal, disorderly, dangerous, or offensive. The Cook-Team and its participants shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Wing Wars of Acadiana Festival, Gifting Grace Project, Inc. and any of its officers and members
from and against any and all liability, loss, injury, damages, and/or claims, of any cause whatsoever that may be suffered by a participant and/or property.