Prepared dishes must be delivered to the pop-up tent just outside of the Pawpaw Tent from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m. on Sunday. You can prepare three BITE-SIZED samples of your dish or leave it whole and the judges can portion it at the judging tables. Any leftovers will be sampled by the crowd.  Entrants in the Sauces/Condiments category are encouraged to provide a small sample containing just the sauce to be judged when they enter the sample served in combination with other foods. We have refrigeration and a freezer, but we do not have the capability to keep hot foods hot. Appearance matters, so make your dish as appealing as you can.

You can enter multiple dishes in each category, but only one entry per person per category is permitted to receive an award. Entrants need not be present to win, so consider naming multiple dishes for your family members, friends, co-workers, pets, etc.

First-place winners in each category will receive a plaque and cash prize of $100. Second- and third-place winners in each category will receive a cash prize of $75 and $50 respectively, as well as a certificate.

This year’s categories are:

-Sauces/Condiments

-Beverages (including alcoholic drinks)

-Sweets/Desserts

-Savories (including entrees, breads, appetizers and salads)

   

Judges will rate each dish on a score from 1 to 5 in each of the categories below. The most points wins!

Appearance: How does this dish look? Is this an appealing presentation?

Originality: Is this an exceptionally inventive dish? Did this take some culinary skill to come up with? Or is it a twist on a traditional favorite?

Pawpaw Flavor: Is the pawpaw flavor barely detectable? Is it overwhelming? Or is it just right?

Overall Flavor: How does it taste overall? Is it mouthwatering and enjoyable or is something just not working?

 

Food Safety
Please make sure that you are using ripe pawpaw or commercially available pawpaw pulp to prepare your dishes!  We can keep your cold foods cold (or frozen) but we do not have the capacity to keep hot foods hot, so please consider food safety when entering dishes that may create a risk for food-borne illness. If you have questions, contact pawpawtent@ohiopawpawfest.com.