TitaniumChef

TitaniumChef

Titanium Chef: Toorcamp Edition

For the contest – A short list of potential secret ingredient(s) is going to be published two weeks prior to the event. The actual ingredient(s) are to be shown and given to the competitors 3 hours before they need to present. The teams have 3 hours to find out what they can get at the local grocery store and finish plating. Teams are not allowed to cook before then. Teams only have 3 hours to cook. Judging order is done via first come first serve to sign ups. You will need to a small meal for 5 judges. Teams not being shown first get an additional 5 minutes to warm up (please note this is to warm up only and not to cook) any food items before it is served.

Voting is simple. For each team and criteria there are three categories for a total of 25 points per judge.

Appearance - Does it look appetizing? Does it have impact when you look at it? Does it look appealing? Does it make sense? (5 pts)

Taste / Flavor - Is this the best way to present the secret ingredient? The secret ingredient is the most important flavor of this dish. It should not be the second flavor you taste. Also important, did you like how it tastes? Do the flavors go together? Is it seasoned well? (10 pts)

Inventiveness / Creativity - How it was made? New technique? Did they use a sou vide, liquid nitrogen, centrifuge, or did they invent a new technique no one else have done? Did they do something creative? (10 pts)

Q&A

Q. When is it?

Titanium Chef will begin at 13:00 HRS PDT on Friday. Teams will be emailed the specific time and location to pick up their secret ingredient, and from that point on the team will have 3 hours to collect ingredients and cook. Judging will be on 1600 HRS PDT Friday at a place announced during the reveal.

Q. What are the potential ingredients for 2026?

These are the potential ingredients for Titanium Chef Toorcamp 2026 (alphabetical order)

• It is a surprise

Q. Why a surprise?

This is to prevent contestants from going home and trying things from the list like Durian fruit for 4 weeks before the event.

Q. How do I apply?

Please submit your team roster. Handles / names - a brief description to pinguino@toorcon.org

Q. What is the final ingredient?

Wait until Friday of Toorcamp

The Rules

A list of potential secret ingredient(s) is going to be published two weeks prior to the event. The actual ingredient(s) are to be shown and given to the competitors 3 hours before they need to present their entries. Judging order is done via first come first serve to sign ups. Teams not being shown first get an additional 5 minutes to warm up (please note this is to warm up only and not to cook) any food items before it is served.

We ask contestants to not use tomato, bell pepper, or avocado this year, as our judges are allergic to these ingredients.

Q. Why do this?

A. For fun, the glory, the prize and bragging rights until the next contest

Q. Do we need to supply our own cooking gear

A. Yes, I assume you have some since this is supposed to be a campsite.

Q. Can I substitute my own secret ingredient?

A. Good idea…um no. You still need to use the secret ingredient.

Q. What if my team mates don’t return in 3 hours what happens?

Complete Teams who are not at the campsite within 3 hours of revelation will not be able to compete. However if for example one or two team members are onsite and the third team member didn’t return with the material they need to cook with then only the members who are onsite can compete but cannot use any material gathered by the absent team member if they eventually show up.

Q. What if I am vegan and your secret ingredient is meat.

A. You can still enter the contest as one team has done in the past. But you still need to use the ingredient even if its a meat product.

Q. How many people can I have in a team

A. Up to 6.

Q. Who is chosen first to serve?

A. Who ever submits their team roster to pinguino@toorcon.org first, then second and so on.

Q. What if I am being judged second or later?

You are given 5 minutes to re-heat the food before serving. Presentation points are to be determined from a completed dish done at the allotted time. Also, if a team finishes way ahead (like an hour) of everyone else, we will start judging them if the first team to present gives permission.

Q. Can we bribe you

A. You can try, but it won’t succeed.

Q. How many plates do we need to show for presentation?

A. 1 for each different variation. If you decided to cook three items with the ingredient you will need to produce 3 plates for presentation and proper amount of food left for the judges.

Q. Do I need to bring the good china and silverware?

A. It’s a campground not the Russian tea room, Chinet and (at least biodegradable) silverware is fine.

Q. Can we add in an alcoholic beverage for the judges to drink while tasting the food?

A. You have enough for everyone?

Q. Are there other rules?

A. We will add them as needed. Rules are subject to change to give all teams a fighting chance to win.

Q. Where do I sign up?

A. E-mail pinguino@toorcon.org to sign up. Please include all your team mates, E-mail address, point of contact for the team, your team name and a quick bio on each of your team members. Judging time is calculated on who submits their e-mails in which order.

Q. When is the last day to sign up?

A. Teams have until June 25 to register. The logistics of obtaining the ingredient(s) and bringing out to the campsite is not easy. We will have 1 extra secret ingredient(s) onsite as a spare. However two teams wants to join in the last minute, they will need to battle each other in a 30 minute competition involving an ingredient that may or may not be on the list.

Q. Can I bring a professional cook?

A. You can. However we do want to see the creativity the community can bring in on their own.

Q. How many judges will there be?

A. 5 judges and 1 arbitrator. Judges will be a few of the members of the first place team of the last Titanium Chef Toorcamp contest who are in attendance of the current event (if they are not competing). 6 servings of food will be needed.