The clock is running! Only 24 days until the “big game” at WFC 2013 Las Vegas, baby! Are you ready to rumble? Got your game-face on for some serious food sport? Or are you feeling like you still need some play before the big dance? This is the first of three training posts that I will share here over the next few weeks.

Combined, this lineup of checklist, info and advice will give you details on how to prepare for your competition at WFC. But first, it’s full disclosure time…

I am not going to pretend that I know everything about how to prepare to compete at WFC ‘cause, truth be told, my “on-the-field” at WFC last year was a little rough. Needless to say, I did not “kill-it” at WFC 2012 (understatement of the century). I won’t even share my sad and low rankings. It was pretty bad.  I can finally say it now…my Cauliflower Gratin (right there, cauliflower gratin…really?) was far from a pennant winning side-dish.

Suffice it to say, it took me several cocktails, about a hundred hugs from my Vegas roomies and a couple of “What the heck happened?” moments, then, moved quickly to “the judges must have found a hair in my final dish somewhere” to the point where I started to really evaluate the X’s and O’s…you know, I faced the real issues that led to my big time “WFC flunky” designation.  This is the very reason I can share all of this good information. I have watched the game-tape and looked the competition over from lots of angles. I know what worked and what caused me to not come up with the winning “side-dish” (possibly using cauliflower and sausage in the same dish…not a good match-up).

If you are going for the W, take-a-knee and pay attention.  This coach is giving you the winning secret… Plan, prepare and follow along here with me over the next few weeks. As your competition coach, I will help you to make the right plays.

My first call from the side-lines, if you have long hair, use a hair net so you don’t question things… you know what I mean? Yeah, that is #1.

Next up, I have compiled the below lists of “to do’s” and some of the “must haves” because I have been furiously getting ready all year to be the best competitor I can be. Again, as a competition coach, I want you to be the best competitor you can be too.

Let’s start with my “game-tape” from last year…I’ll share where I think things went wrong. I spent a lot of my time in Las Vegas last year trying to make-up for lack of early planning by scrambling to get prepared at the last-minute.

I ran around Las Vegas (like many of my fellow competitors) gathering forgotten things, not sure where grocery stores were located or even the scope of the vast layout of the event. I know now that I expended lots of energy on the wrong things.

Here are some important things to think about and to do right now while you are still on your home turf.

Travel: You may have your travel already arranged (nicely done), if not, it’s time to start getting your travel plans in place. Flights aren’t getting any cheaper and rooms are getting sold-out.  Don’t be left spending too much on travel and missing out on getting a hotel room close to the competition site. If you can spare the time and an extra night stay, make your travel reservations to have you arriving a little early to give yourself breathing time.

Teaming up: Have you decided if are you going it alone or will you have a team? If you are in Chili or BBQ you most definitely have a team. All other categories, you have to decide, how helpful will it be to have a team member?   Is it in your budget to bring someone along or do you have a generous, food-talented friend that will come on their own dime? Maybe you can enlist a culinary student in Las Vegas to help with your prep work.  Or, will you just go it alone because too many cooks in the kitchen can spoil the soup? Either way, it’s time to pull a team or helper into the mix or decide to go it alone.  If you decide to bring in a helper-cook, it’s important to begin collaboration with this person/team to get to see your vision and how you want it executed.  Your cooking space will allow for up to three people to fit comfortably. Keep in mind, things can get tight with 10×10 space, equipment, food, coolers and more… so, it’s important to make sure the members of your team are organized and useful.

Getting and staying organized:

• Get a great big binder with tabs for each area that relates to the competition.
• Here are some ideas for categories for a binder: travel, recipe, a list of ingredients and how they will be sourced, a list of equipment, the WFC rules, a time-line of the competition and the entire week, and build level competition details and recipe plans.
•  I am even adding step-by-step pictures of my recipe to help my competition helper keep on track.

Know every aspect of the rules and more:

• Print and know the Competitor Packet- Read and reread the rules! This will help you to be very focused.
• Print and know the layout of the entire event. It will be nice to know, ahead of the game where you are going and how long it will take to get there.
• What is your competition timing? Meetings, turn-in times, etc. This is all in your Category Competitor Packet. Knowing all the timing is uber-important.
• If you need an extra table, or want to send items to the site etc, make sure you read and order your extras by the deadlines stated for Source One Events in the Competitors Packet. The early discount deadline is Oct. 21^st. Tip: Need ice? You can order a bag for $5.00 dropped right at your competition tent.
• Know the extra events. You should make time for some fun and mingle!!!
• Have your recipes and ingredient lists ready and printed.  You will want to bring these to the Cook’s Meetings. Having them printed and ready to staple onto the turn-in card will be one thing you won’t have to worry about on-site if you prepare this all ahead of time.
• Download and print Zestuous’  “A Local’s Guide to WFC.” This is a great guide that will help with every aspect of the event, from shopping to getting to your competition on time to making sure you get to all the events. This is the go-to guide! Thanks, Christie at Zestuous! Super helpful!

Here’s something that might come in handy: I am bringing a little office supply box.  You just never know when you may need a stapler, paper clips, a pair of scissors, tape, a marker, a pen, or a lighter (pilot lights going out can be an issue). You can come borrow mine…but why not have your own …Nice idea, right?

Practice:You know the old adage: Practice makes perfect.  Once you have come up with your amazing prize winning recipes  you have to practice, practice and practice some more. Make it so that the people in your life get really sick of eating your prize-winning dish.

Make sure you have what you need: Think about each step and what you may need.  Is it a small box of foil, wrap, some disposable foil pans, disposable kitchen gloves, a hair net etc?   A great idea that someone recently shared goes like this: During your last practice session create your competition dish as you would for WFC.  While in your practice session, compile all the things you’ll need to create your final plate for the competition.  For example: the spatulas, forks, appliances, the ingredients and every little thing you use to create the dish.  As you go through the process of making your dish, once you are done with an item, clean it and pack these items to be sent on. If you are taking the items with you, put them right in your luggage. Do it this way and you’ll know you have everything you need to complete your dish. Also, I’m taking pictures of my process to help me with my set-up once I have arrived in my 10×10.

Turn-in tray and presentation: Plan for the plates/bowls you need for your turn-in presentation. You’ll want to get the plates and presentation pieces prior to arriving in Las Vegas. This’ll be helpful to have together prior to arrival. The oval “turn-in” platter is 12×19. You will need to have 5 smaller dishes for the judges and one presentation dish.  You do not need to provide utensils for the judges.  You should also plan out your edible or floral garnish. This is an example of last year’s Side-Dish champion, Linda Bonwill’s, presentation:

Bonus tip: Pack a box with all your goods and send it to your hotel, if your budget allows, this may be the way to go. I am putting together a bubble-wrapped box of all my goods and sending them on to my hotel. I figure instead of luggin’ it all thru the airport, I will just lug my sent goods up to my room from the front desk of the hotel.

Whew! That’s a lot!

Did I blow your mind? Lots to consider, but all part of a good food fight! None of this info should be too fresh for you because you are already champion competitors coming into WFC.  Being a champion burger-maker or recipe developer or having reached sweet levels of competition success with your tasty desserts. That’s how you got to this level of play, right?  It’s time to compete at your very best.  I hope these check-lists that I am providing, along with some pointed advice, will bring you to your biggest prize yet as the winner of the World Food Championships in Las Vegas 2013! Except, watch out recipe competitors, this compiler of “competition-get-ready” info may be a sharer of info, a great coach and a team player… but I am still planning on the big “W” in Recipe Category this year!

P.S. Feel free to ask me questions here… as your very own WFC coach I will guide you. I might even give you a pat on the backsideJ I’ll most certainly be sending you into the game with some great advice! If you have a question that I don’t have the answer to… I will seek out the answers!