2023 GARLAND CULINARY COMPETITION APPLICATION CRITERIA

All applicants must: 

  • Have a minimum of 3-4 years of experience working in a professional kitchen.
  • Be living and working in Canada.
  • Be 19 years of age or older.
  • Complete application in full, by deadline, to be considered valid
  • Be available to compete virtually on one day between February 27 and March 10, 2023
  • Be available to travel to Toronto to compete in the live competition, should they be selected, which will take place on April 11, 2023
  • Be willing to work with any ingredients assigned, including meat and dairy products
  • Not be a decorated, recognized, multiple culinary competition winner or TV personality chef
  • Not be a previous winner or judge of The Garland Canada Culinary Competition

Application submissions will be reviewed and judged by a panel of culinary experts from the top culinary schools in Canada. Restaurants Canada and Garland Canada will not be involved in any of the judging.

Entry

To enter, applicants must meet the application criteria and submit an application with the following information, by January 11, 2023 at 11:59pm EST

Application Requirements 

  • Contact Information
  • Resume
  • Professional references
  • Headshot photo
  • Image of applicant working in a kitchen or cooking
  • 50 -100 word written application outlining why the Garland Canada Culinary competition is important to them
  • 1-3 minute video about why they chose this career path and what cooking has meant to their life

Unforeseen Circumstances 

  • In the event of a tie when choosing the finalist competitors who will advance to the live competition round, the competitor who scored highest in the combined categories of dish design and perceived balance of flavour will move forward.
  • In the event of a tie among the Top 3 winners at the live competition, the final decision will be made by the head judge.
  • In the event that one or more of the finalist competitors works for one of the pre-selected judges, it is at the sole discretion of Restaurants Canada and Garland Canada to determine if it is necessary for the competitor(s) to be judged by a replacement judge, selected at the sole discretion of the event organizers, to ensure fair and impartial evaluation.
  • In the event that a competitor is unable to participate in either the live or virtual competition rounds, they will be replaced by the next top-scoring competitor who is available. For example, if a competitor from the finalists cannot make it to the live competition, the next competitor in line (competitor #5 based on the judges’ scores) will be invited to replace them and so forth until a competitor is found to join the next round of competition.
  • In the event that a replacement competitor cannot be secured due to limited time, availability or unforeseen circumstances, it is at the sole discretion of the event organizers, Restaurants Canada and Garland Canada to decide whether the competition continues with a reduced number of competitors.
  • In the event that a pre-selected judge is unable to participate, event organizers, Restaurants Canada and/or Garland Canada will select a replacement at their sole discretion. If a replacement judge can not be found due to limited time or availability, it is at the sole discretion of event organizers, Restaurants Canada and/or Garland Canada to decide if the judging continues with a reduced number of judges.
  • Should any additional disputes arise that need to be settled, event organizers, Restaurants Canada and Garland Canada, in consultation with the head judge, will determine a solution at their sole discretion.

Fan Favourite Voting

The competition semi-finalists will automatically be included in the 'Fan Favourite' component of the competition. Short videos of each competitor's virtual culinary demonstration will be posted on the Restaurants Canada Instagram page (@RestaurantsCanada). The video with the most likes at the end of the voting period will be crowned Fan Favourite!

  • Voting is open to everyone on the Instagram platform.
  • People can vote for their favourite contestant by liking his/her/their video on the Restaurants Canada Instagram Page.
  • One ‘like’ on the contestant’s video is equivalent to one vote
  • The voting may be accessed via a computer or mobile device. Limit one (1) vote per person per day during the Voting Period (voting period defined below).
  • No automated devices and/or programs are permitted to participate in the voting, nor will those votes count.
  • The eligible contestant who receives the most votes during the defined Voting Period, as determined by Restaurants Canada, according to the Restaurants Canada Instagram account and at its sole discretion, will be awarded $500 CAD.

In no event will Restaurants Canada, its parent, subsidiary, licensees, and/or affiliates or related companies, or their respective officers, directors, employees, representatives, and/or agents, be responsible or liable for any damages or losses of any kind, including direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of lost, incomplete, late, damaged, or online communications; failures or malfunctions of phones, phone lines, or telephone systems or other communications malfunctions, failed computer hardware or software or other technical failures; garbled, lost, misrouted or scrambled transmissions; any error, omission, interruption, defect or delay in any transmission or communication; errors in receipt or tabulations of votes via online voting.

Restaurants Canada reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify, extend, or suspend the Fan Favourite Voting or disqualify any vote(s) should any virus, bugs, non-authorized human intervention, fraud or other causes beyond its control corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, or proper conduct of the Fan Favourite Voting.

Restaurants Canada further reserves the right to cancel the Fan Favourite Voting or disqualify any vote(s)  if it determines (in its sole discretion) that there has been any attempt to undermine the legitimate operation of the Fan Favourite voting by cheating, hacking, deception, or other unfair playing practices or intending to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other entrants or Restaurants Canada representatives. Restaurants Canada may temporarily or permanently disqualify the Fan Favourite Voting or any person they believe has violated these terms, terminate or suspend voting at any point, and/or declare the vote results based on the votes up to that point if it appears that the voting process has been so distorted by hacking or other interference that the results would not reflect actual valid votes should the voting continue.

Fan Favourite voting will start on March 27, 2023 and will close on April 9, 2023 5pm est.

Judging Criteria 

Judging criteria for both rounds can be found here:

  • Semi-final round (coming soon)
  • Final round (coming soon)