Northeast Florida-based Womens Food Alliance has begun training and certifying its members as professional food judges. And it all started at the organization’s Food Judge Symposium.
Presented by two international food judges — who are also members of the WFA, which provides education, networking and collaboration for women within culinary-related fields across the state and Southeast Georgia — the Jan. 30 symposium in Ponte Vedra Beach covered the history, ethics and protocol of evaluating food competition submissions, as well as a judge’s responsibilities and duties while tasting.
Twenty-one attendees were awarded certificates of completion from the organization, and are now WFA-qualified to assess an array of edible entries during a gastronomic event based on their knowledge and understanding of food judging, including basic food science principles and what sensory qualities make for a killer dish.
Taking taste, creative use of ingredients and appearance into consideration during their critiques, the WFA’s network of food judges are available for bookings, pro bro, “when expert qualified evaluations are required.”
Any organizer behind one of the many chili contests that Tampa Bay puts on annually need a judge — or two?
This article appears in Feb 1-8, 2018.
