How do EggFests work?

jhl192 · June 2014

So if you want to participate in an EGGFEST you can either cook or taste. If you are a taster you buy a ticket, roam from booth to booth trying their food and talking to folks. If you are a cook, you buy a ticket, and you get a booth with a BGE to cook on. Here are my questions?

*Can you decide whatever you want to make or does your entry have to be approved?

*Who pays for the food?

*Do people leave tips to cover the expense of the food? ( I saw that mentioned in a recent post but I thought it may be a joke)

*Do you get a flat amount of cash to buy food and anything over that is your expense?

*Are most people that cook selling something or part of a group or business or are there a lot of individuals doing it just for the experience?

*Are there awards for best pork, best beef, best desserts etc?

*Is there usually enough food to get a sample most places?

*Do taster's bring there own beverages or can you buy drinks there?

*Is there anything a novice fest going should know?

These may sound like dumb questions but I am trying to figure out how these fest's flourish.

TexanOfTheNorth · June 2014

I assume it could vary from one to the next but -

- You decide what you want to cook

- You pay for the food and serving utensils, plates, etc.

- I can't imagine that that tipping comment was anything but 100% on the level

- I don't think you get any cash; although this year's Toronto Eggfest had $200 gift certificates for a local butcher shop and they do give other "prizes" to the cooks

- I believe most cooks are just cooks who do it because we enjoy cooking (and showing off a bit)

- No awards that I know of

- Usually, but I'm not sure that that would be the case at some of the very large festivals. Also, many time 2 or more cooks are doing some of the same cooks.

- Here in Toronto we cannot bring alcohol. I believe in Saledo it is mandatory to do so

- If you're going just to go, wear your pants with the most comfortable/expandable waist line. You'll be eating a lot!

Little Steven · June 2014

The cooks pay for the food. There are no contest type things unless there is an "Iron Chef" comp. Some fests give the cooks goodie bags or vouchers from butchers etc. This is rare. Some offerings run out early but many cooks do several offerings in a day. Some fests have beer and or wine but the lines are usually long. Best to bring your own unless there is a cash bar provided. You decide as a cook what you prepare, I've never heard of a fest that did otherwise. Most folks cook because they love cooking on the egg and no further payment than a compliment is required.

As a new attendee, just be respectful to the cooks, organizers and the dealer that puts it on. Stay on the serving side of the tables. Most cooks love to share their recipes but it can be hectic through the day so if someone is really busy wait til things slow down a bit before asking about recipes/methods/etc

RRP · June 2014

+1 what Steven said about being respectful - especially if you have young children with you. I have about died a few times when I am carving something with a sharp butcher knife and young hands suddenly dart in to grab something off the carving board!

Nature Boy · June 2014

Nice work guys. That pretty much spells it out. It is a celebration of the EGG, and the people who cook on them…and who will soon be cooking on them! Cooks pour their hearts out, and if there is enough eggs and cook teams, everyone is fully happy. Cooks volunteer, they are the center of attention, and they work their tails off. Some fests charge cooks, others don't. In the end, cooks end up spending a good amount of money and time, but are rewarded with spreading their passion and seeing lots of smiling faces while they make new friends.

Like my pal Steve says, respect the cooks, respect the organizers, enjoy yourself to your heart's content whether you are a taster or a cook. The people you meet will only be exceeded by the quality of the food you eat and what you learn.

Cheers!

Chris

PS…kicking off our 6th Eggfest with DizzyFest this weekend. Been putting together a lot of EGGs!

outrageous · June 2014

It is/very simple, we pay our own lodging, our own transportation, we pay to cook, we buy our own food, we cook on a egg supplied to us or bring our own egg, we cook, and give away samples to strangers who pay an admission to come ! Why, do you ask, because eggheads are great folks, we have fun, we like to cook and talk about the egg, did I mnention eggheads/are great folks and/did I mention we have fun!!!!! If cooking at a fest, remember, you are/serving n cooking samples!!!! Leave/some time to see other cooks. At Ga. Fest this year 1800 folks came and/everyone left full!!!!!

Nature Boy · June 2014

Ga. fest is more than 5 times the size of our little fest. Sending all home full is a huge success for the cooks! Hope to get back there. It's a good one.

Cheers

CHris

jhl192 · June 2014

Awesome responses. Thanks! I am nothing but respectful and my kids are grown. I'll be with a friend. Its great to hear that the event is put on by people with a passion for cooking on the egg. I can't wait.

jfm0830 · June 2014

Several tips from the Tasters point of view:

-Get there early to increase your chance of getting some food. As the day goes on the lines get longer and there is only so much food that can come off an Egg. When they serve the current round of food, the first people in line get some, people at the end of the line don't.
-Comfortable shoes are a must.
-The food is served in small hors d'oeuvre sized portions. Many booths have multiple foods coming off their eggs all at once and you do only have two hands. Where I'm going with this, is you may want to have some sort of little tray or 12" paper plates with you to put the food on. NewEgglandfest actually had a plastic tray made just for this type of event that they included in their swag bag. I regret that I didn't bring it with me to Eggtoberfest. I know better now, that tray comes with me to any of the Egg fests I attend going forward.
-You will also have to learn to pace yourself or you will find yourself an hour into a six-hour festival and you're ready to explode. Don't ask me how I know this.
-Check out the materials you get when you check-in. There may be some contests with prizes for best food. Newegglandfest had a ballot where you voted for the best food of the festival. At the end of the day they counted the ballots and announce the winner and there was a prize.
-Be respectful of the cooks time. While they are all Big Green Egg enthusiasts and love talking about the BGE, don't start asking them a lot of questions when they are in the middle of serving a long line of hungry tasters. When things aren't so busy, most of them are more than happy to discuss things.
-Be sure to bring and use plenty of sunblock. Many of these events are held on asphalt covered parking lots. With the sun beating down it is like being on a George Foreman grill: you get cooked on both sides at once. The direct sun and the heat and reflections coming up off the asphalt.

caliking · June 2014

It is not mandatory to bring alcohol to the Salado fest. Just find @henapple, then drink his PBR until you can hear an echo in his cooler. Don't ask me how I know.

Extra points if you get him to haul a 100 lbs of OO to Salado for you. And then pay him with pennies.

henapple · June 2014

I wonder how many states I've lost money in?

caliking · June 2014

Have you dealt black candy in Alaska or Hawaii yet? They may be the only ones left.

Jupiter Jim · June 2014

Yes all the others summed it up perfectly! =D>

henapple · June 2014

Black candy....that was my high school basketball nickname.

henapple · June 2014

See how it's done

Thatgrimguy · June 2014

So you are provided the Egg you cook on? Or you bring your own egg?

Morro Bay Rich · June 2014

Easy: YOU buy, YOU cook, YOU give away, THEY eat!!

JRWhitee · June 2014

At the Eggtoberfest in Atlanta there are around 200-250 cooks, tasters attendance is around 2,500. Tasters pay $40 to attend, beer and wine are supplied or you can bring your own. Cooks do not have to pay to attend but they supply there own food. We usually sign up as a group and they give one egg to two cooks and we pay our own lodging.

Foghorn · June 2014

Thatgrimguy said:
So you are provided the Egg you cook on? Or you bring your own egg?

A number of eggs are provided that have generally been pre-sold at a discount compared to retail price. They are usually larges. If you sign up as a cook you may get your own egg for the day or you may have to share. Sharing works well if you can find someone who will be cooking at roughly the same temp as it forces you to have free time, walk around and mingle. Otherwise, you may find yourself just putting your nose to the grindstone all day.

Mickey · June 2014

Please try to limit your cooking time to an hour & a half on the first few Fests cooking so you can spend time roaming around and picking up new ideas and skills. Yes you will see those who cook all day but they have it down and that is why they are there for the love of it. Not all Fests charge anybody, some charge everybody but you know that before going so no surprise. At Salado we do not do the awards for cooking, instead we give 4 Minis as drawings. Each Fest is different and that is what you do different Fests for. You will learn more in the 5 to 8 hours spent there than a year on your own. They are fun. The Salido Police Dept. and Homeland Security are together now deciding if the two at the bottom picture will be allowed to return next March (or allowed back in the US).

nolaegghead · June 2014

^^^ Eggraham Lincoln Martin Short ^^^^^

How do EggFests work?

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