Introduction
High School Culinary Arts Cook Off
Tennessee High School Culinary Arts
Great Steak Cook off Contest
Earn Cash Prizes and Bragging Rights as the top Culinary Arts Program in the State!
The smell of charcoal, grilled veggies and, most importantly steaks, is gonna fill the air around Oaklands Mansion in Murfreesboro this spring.
2019 Winners
- 1st Place McGavock High School – Chef Mike Walker’s team
- 2nd Place Blackman High School – Chef Frank Pinnix’s team
- 3rd Place Smyrna High School – Chef Alberto Villalobos’s team
- Referral Award- Chef Frank Pinnix from Blackman referring Chef Lyndsey Weatherford, Nolensville High School Team
Earn Cash Prizes and Bragging Rights as the top Culinary Arts Program in the State
Featuring a Culinary Arts Scholarship.
Information will be sent to participating teams
We are getting the coals fired up for the 2023 Boro BBQ Festival at Oaklands Mansion (900 N Maney Ave, Murfreesboro TN) on Saturday, May 13.
High schools like to compete on the basketball courts and football fields, but once a year culinary arts teams compete on the grill or hot plates during our High School Steak-Off competition. There are opportunities for 15 teams in TN to showcase their talents, from the Tri-Cities to Memphis. In addition, a special incentive is available for a graduating senior, to receive a post high school educational scholarship.
Our new location places the high school teams front and center. To get a better understanding of what participating would look like and offer your students, click here. In Mid- February the full competition rules and judging guidelines will be available online. So, start selecting from your talented chef pool to assemble your chef teams of two to five students.
The Competition
Teams will have their steak entries judged on a 0 to 9 point system in the categories of presentation, taste and tenderness. We are using a standard judging system used by the Kansas City Barbecue Society in contest across the country. Additionally, showmanship and Rig Construction 0-3 points can be earned. A perfect score would be an entry totaling 39 points in our system. All the judges for the Backyard BBQ Brawl are certified judges by the Kansas City Barbecue Society with the exception of a few local celebrity judges.
We are using a standard judging system used by the Kansas City Barbecue Society in contest across the country.
Prizes
- First Prize: $500.00
- Second Place: $300.00
- Third Place: $100.00
- Bragging Rights as the top Culinary Arts Program in the area – PRICELESS
Cookers
Teams will be expected to bring their own cookers as we know that regular competing teams favor their own equipment. You may cook with the fuel source of your choice as this can have a significant influence on your finished product. All teams must have a fire extinguisher for safety reasons.
Submission Information
All three judges will be Kansas City Barbecue certified.
Teams are required to submit their entries for judging at their assigned times. Winners will be announced the same day of the competition, during the KBCS Cookers award ceremony.
Each team should prepare three steak plate presentations to be resented by a chosen member of the team to a panel of three judges who will judge the presentation based on the categories noted above. The presenting team members should be prepared to use fine culinary arts language to explain the skills employed in preparing their presentation. Each plate will not contain a whole steak, but enough meat and other appropriate garnish of your choice to make your presentation stand out in the judge’s eye and on their palate.
For more information, contact Sharon Seibert.
Scholarship Application
Featuring a Culinary Arts Scholarship
We have opened up more slots to take up to 15 teams from Memphs to the Tri-Cities. In addition, we have introduced a special and exciting incentive by providing a post high school scholarship.
Visit the Scholarship Page for More Information
For more information, contact Sharon Seibert.
2019 High School Culinary Arts Steak Cook-off Winners
Congratulations to all our 2019 high school culinary arts steak off teams!
1st Place
McGavock High School
Chef Mike Walker’s Team
2nd Place
Blackman High School
Chef Frank Pinnix’s Team
3rd Place
Smyrna High School
Chef Alberto Villalobos’s Team
Referral Award
Chef Lyndsey Weatherford
Nolensville High School Team