New England Dairy Cook-Off


	2010 HOOD NEW ENGLAND DAIRY COOK-OFF NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS CONTEST. THIS CONTEST IS OPEN TO LEGAL U.S. RESIDENTS OF THE STATES OF MA, ME, NH, VT, RI, CT WHO MEET THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA SET FORTH IN THESE OFFICIAL RULES. CONTEST OVERVIEW Recipes must be submitted between June 25, 2010 and September 30, 2010. Submitted recipes will be accepted from non-professional, everyday home cooks who are 18 years of age or older residing within the six New England states – Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. From those submissions, five semifinalists from each New England state (for a total of 30 semifinalists) will be chosen to compete in live head-to-head cook-off events. Semifinalists will compete in one of five categories listed below. Winners in each category (for a total of 5 finalists) will advance to the finals head-to-head cook off event later the same day. The Cook-off event will be held in Portland, Maine on October 30, 2010, will be recorded and the full event or portions of it may be broadcast on television or the internet. This is a solo competition; no teams or assistants will be allowed. There are five categories in which you may submit a recipe to compete in the Cook-off. Breakfast/Brunch Lunch/Dinner (Entrée) Soups/Chowders Appetizers/Side Dishes Dessert Recipes must be original and must include one or more eligible Hood products. Eligible Hood products include all varieties of Hood Milk, Hood Simply Smart Milk, Hood Cream, Hood Sour Cream, Hood Cottage Cheese, Hood Buttermilk, Hood Country Creamer, Hood Calorie Countdown and Hood EggNog. AWARD CATEGORIES/PRIZES AND RESTRICTIONS Semifinalist prizes: Each semifinalist who competes in the Cook-off event will receive a prize of $100. In addition, each semifinalist will receive one night (Friday, October 29, 2010) standard hotel accommodation Residence Inn in Portland, Maine, valued at approximately $139. Each semifinalist prize has an approximate value of $239. Total approximate value of all semifinalist prizes equals $7,170. Finalist Prizes: Each Finalist who does not win the Grand Prize will receive $500. Total value of all Finalist prizes equals $2,000. Grand Prize: One Finalist will receive a grand prize of $10,000. Total value of the grand prize is $10,000. Total approximate value of all prizes is $19,170. Prizes do not include any federal, state or local taxes associated with the receipt of any prize. RESTRICTIONS All expenses not specified herein are not included in any prize, including but not limited to: transportation to or from the Cook-off event in Portland, Maine; all meals for each semi-finalist in connection with travel to or stay in Portland, Maine; applicable taxes; telephone, fax or cable charges imposed while using any accommodations; personal services and expenses such as laundry, valet, room service; gratuities; optional tours; insurance; medical travel documents; and other incidental costs, and any other costs not specifically stated herein as being included. Such additional expenses are the responsibility of each prize winner. There is no substitution or cash equivalent of any prize except at the Event Organizers’ sole discretion due to unavailability of the prize for any reason and only then for a prize of equal or greater value. The Event Organizers are responsible only for prize delivery. The Event Organizers are not responsible for utility, quality or other attributes of any component of the prize. OFFICIAL RULES The following definitions will be utilized throughout these rules. The “Hood New England Dairy Cook-Off” contest shall be referred to as the “Contest. The “Hood New England Dairy Cook-Off” head-to-head cooking events shall be referred to as the “Cook-off.” HP Hood LLC, Garrand, Entertainment Saint Louis and all participating agencies and entities involved in the facilitation and production of the Contest shall be referred to as the “Event Organizers.” Individuals submitting a recipe for consideration in the Contest shall be referred to as “Entrants.” Entrants chosen to compete in the semifinal Cook-off shall be referred to as “Semifinalists.” Semifinalists chosen to compete in the final Cook-off shall be referred to as “Finalists.” Participation in the Contest constitutes full and unconditional agreement to, and acceptance of, these Official Rules. SPONSORS HP Hood LLC, Six Kimball Lane, Lynnfield, MA 01940; Garrand, 75 Washington Ave., Portland, ME 04101; and Entertainment Saint Louis, 227 S. Jefferson, St. Louis, MO 63103; are the Sponsors of this Contest. ENTRIES Each entry must include: Hood Cook-off Registration Form completed in full Original, named recipe, including all ingredients and their exact U.S. measurements or weights Complete preparation and cooking instructions TO ENTER ONLINE CLICK HERE FOR ONLINE ENTRY FORM or visit www.hoodcookoff.com between June 25, 2010 and September 30, 2010, and complete an online contest entry form. Complete all fields of required information. Each online entry should be submitted only once. Use of automated processes and devices to submit online entries are not permitted. The Event Organizers and their agencies are not responsible for any changes or effects caused to the entrant’s computer system as a result of submitting online entries, or entries that can’t be processed due to telephone, network, electronic or computer hardware or software failure, or technical failures of any kind. The Event Organizers are not responsible for any misdirected or lost entries. TO ENTER BY POSTAL MAIL On an 8 ½ x 11-inch sheet of plain paper, legibly print or type your original recipe, recipe name, preparation time, cook time, number of servings, each recipe ingredient (including garnishes) with specific flavor, exact measurements in U.S. weights or measures, equipment needed and complete preparation directions. On the back of the sheet, legibly print or type your name, address, daytime telephone number, e-mail address (if available), the recipe category, recipe name, name of the Hood product(s) used and the cooking method for the recipe you are submitting. No confirmation will be given for mailed recipe entries. The Event Organizers and their agencies are not responsible for lost, late, misdirected, damaged, postage-due or otherwise undeliverable mail. For U.S. Postal submission, please mail the above information to: GARRAND ATTENTION – HOOD NEW ENGLAND DAIRY COOK-OFF 75 WASHINGTON AVENUE – SUITE 201 PORTLAND, ME 04101 Incomplete entries will not be accepted. By submitting your recipe, you accept all Contest rules and agree to be bound by the decisions of the judges, which will be final. All entries, including all recipes, and all legal rights and interests in them, including the rights of copyright, become the exclusive joint property of the Event Organizers, who reserve the right to edit, adapt, copyright, publish, transfer and use any or all of them, without compensation to you or any third party and will not be acknowledged or returned, or any portion thereof. RECIPE SUBMISSIONS Each Entrant may submit only one recipe per category. If Entrants submit more than one recipe in a category, the Event Organizers shall consider the first recipe received as the official submission and all other submissions shall be disregarded. Recipes must include at least one eligible Hood product to be considered for the Cook-off. Multiple eligible Hood products can be utilized in the creation of your recipe. No recipe components shall require deep-frying. With the exception of Lobster, no recipe shall contain pre-cooked items of any kind (i.e. rotisserie chicken/honey baked ham/or any ingredient that would normally be cooked at the time of meal preparation). Each recipe must have a name. Recipe names should be original. By submitting a recipe to the Contest, Entrant is acknowledging that his/her recipe is original and owned exclusively by the Entrant. The Event Organizers will disqualify previously published recipes including, without limitation, those that are the legal property of or are included on any restaurant menu, in any cookbook, magazine, from food companies, on food or recipe websites and entries in other recipe contests, unless the recipe features changes considered significant by the Event Organizers. COMPETITION CATEGORIES Each recipe must fall within one of the following five categories: BREAKFAST/BRUNCH SOUPS/CHOWDERS LUNCH/DINNER (ENTRÉE) APPETIZERS/SIDE DISHES DESSERT Event Organizers reserve the right to assign recipe entries to the recipe category they deem appropriate. TIME ALLOTMENT FOR COOK-OFF Semifinalists and Finalists will be given the following amount of time to prepare, cook and serve their recipe submissions: 5 minutes to prepare their stations for the competition 40 minutes to prepare, cook and plate the dish 25 minutes shared time for judging Semifinalists and Finalists are allowed to prepare portions of their recipe (such as pre-cutting, cleaning or marinating) prior to the Cook-off event in order to adhere to the time allotment stated above. No portion of the recipe may arrive pre-cooked (with the exception of lobster) or pre-decorated. Semifinalists and Finalists must adhere to all local health department regulations in the preparation of their dish. PROVISIONS Event Organizers will supply each Semifinalist and Finalist with the following equipment for his/her exclusive use during the Cook-off event: One 8’x4’ counter height Cook-off competition station including: One traditional style electric stove with four burners and one oven Counter space as part of the competition station approximately 4’x4’ Under counter storage space as part of the competition station One stainless steel prep table approximately 3’x5’ Two 15 amp outlets w/Edison style plugs One trash can with liner One bus tub Sink with tap water for use as needed (shared access) Refrigeration (shared access) WHAT TO BRING Semifinalists and Finalists will supply all of their own food items/ingredients, garnish, utensils, cookware, pots, pans, small appliances, serving plates, towels for cleaning and anything required to prepare and fully cook the recipe submission. Food/Ingredients brought for competition should allow Semifinalists to prepare three individual servings for the semi-finals and five individual servings for the finals, provided the Semifinalist advances to the Cook-off final. The Event Organizers will provide Hood products for use at the Cook-off event. It is recommended that Semifinalists bring more than they expect to use in order to compensate for error. Cold storage items should be boxed and labeled for placement in the event refrigerated truck storage or refrigerators. JUDGING CRITERIA FOR COOK-OFF A panel of judges will rate each submission in the semifinal and final head-to-head Cook-off events. The judging panel will include at least one local restaurant chef. In the Semifinalist Cook-off event, Semifinalists will compete in one of the five competition categories. Judges will choose one Semifinalist winner from each competition category based on the criteria below. After selecting the Finalists, Finalists will compete against each other in the Finalist Cook-off event. Judges will choose one Finalist grand prize winner based on the criteria below. Semifinalist and Finalist dishes will be judged on the following criteria: Taste Appeal: 20 points Presentation/Appearance: 10 points Creativity/Originality: 20 points In case of ties, the dish with the highest score for taste will be declared the winner. The selection of the winning dish shall be made in the judges’ sole and absolute discretion. All decisions of the judges shall be final. ELIGIBILITY The Hood New England Dairy Cook-Off is open to legal United States residents residing in one of the six New England states who are 18 years of age or older as of January 1, 2010. ONLY non-professional home cooks are eligible to enter. Food professionals such as chefs, food writers, food home economists, food educators, caterers, dietitians, nutritionists, or anyone who prepares recipes for pay are NOT eligible. Employees of the Event Organizers, their agencies, members of their immediate family (parent, children, siblings, spouse, regardless of where they live) or people who live in the same household of such employees are NOT eligible. PARTICIPATION COMMITMENT By submitting your recipe, Entrants agree to participate in the live Cook-off located in Portland, Maine, on October 30, 2010, at the Ocean Gateway venue, if selected as a Semifinalist. The Cook-off will be an all day event beginning with the first competition at 7:30 a.m. EST and ending by approximately 8:30 p.m. EST (subject to change). Exact timeslot will be at the discretion of the Event Organizers. The Event Organizers reserve the right to disqualify any contestant who they deem unfit to compete on the day of the competition. All expenses, including but not limited to travel, ground transportation, meals, applicable taxes, food/ingredients for use in the Cook-off, cookware, utensils, dinnerware, and any unforeseen expenses related to Semifinalists’ and Finalists’ participation in the Cook-off, are the sole responsibility of each Semifinalist and Finalist. One night (Friday, October 29, 2010) standard hotel accommodation, with an approximate value of $139.00, is included for each Semifinalist. No compensation or reimbursements of any kind will be made by the Event Organizers. DEADLINES The Event Organizers will begin accepting entries for the Contest beginning on June 30, 2010. Entries by U.S. Mail must be postmarked on or before September 30, 2010. Online entries must be submitted before midnight on September 30, 2010. IMPORTANT SEMIFINALIST INFORMATION If you are one of the selected Semifinalists, you will be notified by phone on or about October 19, 2010. The Event Organizers will choose five Semifinalists and two alternates from each New England state. Semifinalists will compete in of the five competition categories. Alternates will not be notified of their selection as alternates. Semifinalists will be chosen at the sole discretion of Southern New Hampshire University Culinary Department and the Event Organizers. If a Semifinalist is unable to be contacted by the telephone number provided, the selection will be forfeited and the Event Organizers will select and contact an alternate. Additionally, if the Semifinalist is unable to comply with these rules and regulations, an alternate will be selected. Event Organizers are not responsible for Semifinalist limitations that prevent participation in the Cook-off or acceptance or use of any prize. Semifinalists will be required to sign an Affidavit of Eligibility, Release of Liability, and Publicity Release (the “Affidavit”) within three (3) business days of receipt of such Affidavit and Release, verifying the originality, authorship and ownership of their recipes; their eligibility and compliance with these Official Rules and confirming their agreement to release the Event Organizers, their agencies, including HP Hood LLC, Garrand, Entertainment Saint Louis, the judges, and their respective directors and employees from all liability, claims, damages and injuries resulting from the Semifinalists’ participation in the Cook-off and the acceptance and use of a prize, including without limitation, any personal injury, death, loss or damages of any kind or claims based on publicity rights, defamation, or invasion of privacy. Semifinalists shall return the Affidavit, signed and dated, to the Event Organizers within the time permitted. Failure to return the Affidavit in the time permitted, or if the Affidavit is returned as undeliverable, will result in Semifinalist being disqualified. Semifinalists also agree to return any prize received if the representations made in the Affidavit prove to be untrue and to further indemnify and hold harmless the Event Organizers, against any and all claims, damages and expenses, including attorneys’ fees incurred as a result of any such misrepresentation. Each Semifinalist hereby grants the Event Organizers permission to use such Semifinalist’s name, likeness and personal information in any media relating to his/her participation for publicity, promotion, advertising and other purposes without further notice or additional compensation to promote the Cook-off, the recipe and HP Hood LLC and their products; and shall further assign to the Event Organizers or any of them, all rights of ownership, including copyright, in any submitted recipe. Each Semifinalist agrees to take any actions (including execution of documents) reasonably requested by Event Organizers to effect, perfect or evidence the foregoing assignment. Each Semifinalist may be required to make him/herself available for interviews during the time his/her recipe is publicized locally or nationally to the media and during the Cook-off. If a Semifinalist becomes unable to compete for any reason at the October 30, 2010 Cook-off event, the Event Organizers will attempt to replace that Semifinalist with an alternate, provided that the alternate can comply with the conditions stated above by October 19, 2010. If no alternate can comply by that date, the Semifinalist will not be replaced. GENERAL By entering this Contest, each Entrant warrants that the Entrant (a) has read, understood, and followed the Official HP Hood “Hood New England Diary Cook-Off” Rules; (b) agrees to be bound by the decisions of the Event Organizers and the judges panel; and (c) is eligible under these Contest Rules. All Semifinalists and their entries may be subject to verification and investigation before being awarded any prizes. In the event not enough qualified entries are received, the Event Organizers are not responsible to select more Semifinalists or award more prizes than entries received. This Contest shall be governed by Massachusetts law. By participating in this Contest, Entrants agree that (a) any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action and Massachusetts courts shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute or litigation arising from or relating to this Contest and that venue shall be only in Boston, Massachusetts; (b) any and all claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering this Contest but in no event shall there be a claim or award of attorneys’ fees or costs; and (c) under no circumstances will entrants be permitted to obtain, and Entrant hereby waives all rights to claim, punitive, incidental and consequential damages and any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses, and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE MAY NOT BE APPLICABLE TO EACH ENTRANT AND/OR WINNER. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY The Event Organizers are not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information associated with or utilized in the Contest or by any technical or human error, which may occur in the processing of entries in the Contest. The Event Organizers assume no responsibility for any misdirected or lost entries, or any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries or entry data. If, for any reason, the Contest is not capable of running as planned, including tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, or any other causes beyond the control of the Event Organizers which affects the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the Contest, then the Event Organizers reserve the right at their sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest. Entrants agree that the Event Organizers, their parent, subsidiaries and affiliated companies, prize suppliers, advertising and promotion agencies, and their respective parent and affiliate companies, suppliers, printers, distributors, and the respective officers, managers, members, directors, employees, representatives and agents of each, the judges, Shaw’s Supermarkets, Inc. and any other person or entity related in any way to this Contest (collectively, the “Contest Entities”) will have no liability whatsoever for, and shall be held harmless by Entrants against, any and all liability, including but not limited to any for any death, injury, loss or damage of any kind, resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from acceptance, possession, misuse or use of any prize, participation in this Contest, or while traveling to, preparing for or participating in the Cook-off or any related activity. The Contest Entities expressly disclaim any responsibility or liability for injury or loss to any person or property in connection with the delivery and/or subsequent use of the prizes, or any portion thereof, awarded. The Event Organizers reserve the right, at their sole discretion, to disqualify any individual they find to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of any of the Contest; to be acting in violation of the Official Rules; or to be acting in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person. CAUTION: ANY DELIBERATE ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT OR ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL TO UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF ANY OF THE CONTEST IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, THE EVENT ORGANIZERS RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. TAXES The prize winners are solely responsible for all federal, state and local taxes and fees associated with the receipt of any prize. The winner of the Grand Prize, as well as the Finalists, will be issued a Form 1099 reflecting the amount of the prize awarded. FORCE MAJEURE In the event of cancelation of the Cook-off for any reason whatsoever, including, without limitation, sickness or accident to the Event Organizers or if the Cook-off is rendered impossible, or unfeasible by any act or regulation of any public authority or bureau, civil tumult, strike, epidemic, interruption in or delay of transportation services, inclement weather, war conditions, acts of terrorism, emergencies, act of God, or any other cause or causes beyond the control of the Event Organizers, the Entrant agrees that there shall be no claim or action against the Event Organizers. WINNER’S LIST For a list of winners, send a written request together with a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Hood New England Dairy Cook-Off, HP Hood LLC, Six Kimball Lane, Lynnfield, MA 01940. Requests must be received by October 31, 2010. Vermont residents may omit return postage. CHANGE OR CANCELLATION Event Organizers reserve the right to change the rules, adjust the dates herein, or cancel the Cook-off event at any time without further obligation or liability. Copyright© 2010 HP Hood LLC: All rights reserved. HP Hood and the associated logo are registered trademarks of HP Hood LLC. Any other trademarks in these Official Rules are used for prize identification purposes ONLY and are the properties of their respective owners.