BEST IN PANIOLO COOK-OFF

Thursday, September 18, 2025 | 6pm-9pm Public

Kūhiō Hale (Hawaiian Homes Hall Waimea)

64-756 Māmalahoa Hwy, Waimea, HI 96743

 

Contestant Rules:

 

Important Note:

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Attention Cook-Off Contestants! Last year we went all out and processed a cow to provide stew meat, ground beef, ake, and tripe. But we found that most chefs preferred to bring their own cuts for their recipes — with the exception of the ground beef for chili and Ake (liver). So this year we’re keeping it simple! We will only be providing ground beef for chili or Ake (liver) to contestants by request. If you’re entering the chili category or the Ake category and need meat, just let us know and we’ll set up a convenient pick-up date for you. Mahalo for helping us keep things easy and ono for everyone!

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**Contestant Check-In and Table Set-up**

 

• Contestant will need to bring their own 6ft table (only 6ft tables allowed, no exceptions)

• Contestants can bring up to 2 - 6ft tables. One table for your presentation, one table behind you for prep.

• Entries will be collected for judging at 5:30pm - before opening to public tasters at 6pm.

• You must have your table set and beef cook-off plated in the taste cups by 6:00pm, before doors open

• Door Open: 6:00pm

• Best In Paniolo Cook-Off Demonstration

• Tasting for Public

• Award Announcements - 8:30pm

• PAU

 

Contest Guidelines:

The first 20 registered contestants will receive 6 lbs of ground beef or 1 Ake (liver) if requested for use in your recipe. Contact organizers to coordinate pick-up at Kuhio Hale (Hawaiian Homes Hall) in Waimea.

 

Last year we went all out and processed a cow to provide stew meat, ground beef, ake, and tripe. But we found that most chefs preferred to bring their own cuts for their recipes — with the exception of the ground beef for chili and Ake (liver). So this year we’re keeping it simple! We will only be providing ground beef for chili or Ake (liver) to contestants by request. If you’re entering the chili category or the Ake category and need meat, just let us know and we’ll set up a convenient pick-up date for you. Mahalo for helping us keep things easy and ono for everyone!

 

1. Entry fee $30 per entry (per recipe entered). This fee includes one Aloha Festivals Island of Hawaii Medallion. Payment must be received with the recipe and entry form before the contest. Contestants may enter as many times as they choose. However, a separate entry fee and form must accompany each recipe.

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2. There are no divisions. Amateurs and professionals are encouraged to enter and will be put together in the same division. Let your dish speak for itself! Beat out the chef or let the chef show you how it’s done!

 

3. Main contestants must be at least 18 years of age. Assistants can be of any age.

 

4. Entries must be received no later than Monday Sept 15, 2025.

 

5. Illegible entries will be disqualified. Aloha Festivals Island of Hawaii are not responsible for lost, illegible, incomplete, misaddressed, postage due (if mailing), or otherwise misdirected entries or transactions that are processed late or incorrectly.

 

6. Hawaii residency is not required.

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7. This is a Best in Paniolo Cook-Off Contest; therefore meat products must be used in each entry. No vegan or vegetarian substitutes will be allowed. This is not the competition for non-meat eaters.

 

9. We encourage you to be creative.

 

10. Recipes must be submitted in one of the following categories:

🐄 ____ Best Beef Stew

🐄 ____ Best Chili

🐄 ____ Best Pipikaula

🐖 ____ Best Smoke Meat

🐖 ____ Best Sausage

🐄 ____ Paniolo Delicacies

 

Stew : Any dish that's prepared by stewing—A method of cooking by which food is barely covered with liquid and simmered slowly for a long period of time in a tightly covered pot. Stewing not only tenderizes tough pieces of meat but also allows the flavors of the ingredients to blend. Stew is not limited by ingredients, though it must contain beef.

 

Chili: Chili refers to the chili powder used to season it. Standard chili made in its simplest form is ground beef, tomato sauce of some kind, kidney beans, and chili powder. Chili powder normally contains red (cayenne) pepper, cumin, garlic powder and oregano. Ground beef must be the base of the chili dish. You are welcome to add any other meat products that are require for your recipes. This categories is not limited to a tomato base. Curry, shoyu, or any other style of sauce is welcomed in this category, including goulash types of chili.

 

Pipikaula: Pipikaula is a Hawaiian dish. It translates to "beef rope." It is made from beef that is salted and then semi-dried. It's made from either bone-in short rib or flank steak. This is a beef jerky, smoked beef, dried beef category, all these entries will be accepted.

 

Smoke Meat:

Smoke meat is especially popular in paniolo country. It’s traditionally made from pork. The pork is marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, brown sugar, and garlic for extra flavor (but all up to the preparer) and the meat is then slow-cooked in a smoker or over kiawe wood, which gives it a distinct smoky aroma and savory taste unique to the islands. Once smoked, it can be sliced and eaten as is, served as a pupu (snack), or pan-fried with onions, cabbage, or tomatoes for a hearty meal. Smoke meat is not only delicious but also part of a long-standing cultural tradition, tied to ranching, hunting, and gathering with ʻohana. This is a pork category; if it is made from beef, then it will be entered into the Pipi Kaula category.

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Sausage:

Sausage is made by combining ground meat — most often pork, though beef, chicken, or a mix can also be used — with fat, seasonings, and then stuffing the mixture into casings. The ideal blend is about 70% lean meat and 30% fat to keep the sausage juicy. After grinding the meat to the desired texture, it is then blended with your choice of seasonings, herbs, and flavors to create your own recipe. It is then stuffed into natural hog casings or collagen casings that have been rinsed and soaked. The sausages are then twisted into links and can be cooked fresh by grilling, frying, or baking, or they can be smoked low and slow for deeper flavor. Some sausages are even hung to cure in a cool, dry space for preservation.

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Paniolo Delicacies: Our favorite! This category includes mountain oysters, cow tongue, tripe, liver, marrow, oxtail (cow tail) etc.. If you stew it, Chili it, or smoke/dry it, then it will be placed in those respective categories. This category is for Paniolo Delicacies that can hold its own as a dish, you decide how to prepare it.

 

11. Each dish will be entered into the category that it best fits. If a dish does not align with any existing category, it will automatically be placed under the "Paniolo Delicacies" category. To create a stand-alone category, there must be at least three or more entries of the same dish. For example, last year we received four ʻAke entries, which allowed us to form an ʻAke category of its own.

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12. Recipes must be written in English, Hawaiian or Pidgin Creole. We need to know what is in the contents of your recipe, not so much the measurements. We must receive your recipe by Monday September 15, 2025 . We need to list allergies and prepare ingredient cards for the judges. We would like to complete them in advance, so we are not rushing. 

 

13. No recipe changes will be allowed once the recipe has been submitted, as the ingredient cards will be printed as soon as received. Please inform us if there has been a change and we will try our best to accommodate.  

 

14. Entries will be judged according to:

 

--Appearance- is it aesthetically appealing and appetizing?

--Taste- is it pleasing to the taste buds and has an appropriate balance of flavors?

--Texture- how does the consistency and mouth feel?

--Creativity- are the flavor combinations and ingredients used and presented well?

--Overall-All Presentation

 

15. BONUS CATEGORY (People’s Choice Award): Contestants are encouraged to be creative in the presentation display of their table decor, presentation vessel, etc. Contestants will need to provid their own 6ft table to display their entry. Presentation decor should have relevance to your dish. Each table will be judged individually, regardless if you have more than one entry on the same table. The public will decide the best-looking table entry. You can have more than one entry on a table. 

 

16. 6 lb pounds or more of prepared Stew, Chili, Pipikaula, Smoke Meat, Sausage, Paniolo Delicacies must be brought to the contest. The AFIOH Committee will provide the standard 2oz. sample cup. We encourage you to be creative in your own presentation and consider bringing you own. 

 

17. Contestants will be permitted to set up their table/presentation from 12 noon at Kuhio Hale and must be ready to serve judges at 5:30pm and serve the public by 6pm.

 

18. Check-in at the entrance of the Kuhio Hale starting at 12 noon Thursday Sept 18, 2025. AFIOH will provide one (1) AFIOH Medallion and two (2) Paniolo Cook-Off Badges or wrist bands. These need to be worn at all times and will serve as your official ID into the event.

 

19. One person is permitted to enter with the contestant as the kōkua (assistant), but will be required to purchase their own AFIOH medallion. The medallion will be available for purchase at the door for $10 upon check in. All must have a AFIOH medallion to enter the event, including all contestants and kokua. 

 

20. Contestants will not be able to cook on site; please bring your entries prepared, hot, and ready to plate and serve.

 

21. Contestants are allowed to bring: a chafing dish with a sterno, small butane burner or propane burner unit to keep food hot. If you bring anyone of these, you must have a FIRE EXTINGUISHER.

 

22. Candles, torches, sternos, butane burners, and any other flame-producing devices are considered “open flame devices.” Open flame devices carry with them the risk of unintentional fire and serious consequences when not used appropriately. Therefore, any use of open-flame devices must have a fire-retardant barrier to contain any open flame. This is required.

 

23. The AFIOH will not provide you with linens; please bring your own, as it is part of your decor.

 

24. Table must be set-up and samples plated in the tasting cups by 6 pm. AFIOH will supply each entry with seventy-five (75) 2oz. taste cups. We encourage you to be creative with your dish sampling- feel free to use your own plating if you wish.

 

25. Contestants are responsible for replenishing their dish displays during the public tasting segment.

 

26. You are required to always have someone at your table. You are not allowed to break down before the event is over.

 

27. Contestants are responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of your space, free of debris at all times, and dispose of all trash before you leave.

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We look forward to seeing you!