Pick, Plan, Plate

Pick, Plan, Plate: A Culinary Challenge of Strategy, Speed & Serious Flavor
Step into the kitchen and prepare for a challenge that’s equal parts creativity, chaos, and culinary genius. In Pick, Plan, Plate, you’ll go head-to-head in a team-based showdown where the theme is revealed at the start — and the strategy is all up to you.

This is a cooking experience for anyone who watches their favorite food competition shows and thinks, “I’ve got this,” or even, “I have no idea what I’m doing… but I’m all in!”

In this immersive culinary contest, you’ll race against the clock to pick your ingredients, plan your dish, and plate up something spectacular — all before time runs out and the judging begins.

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The Competition

The Challenge: Create a dish based on a surprise theme using ingredients you select from four curated stations — plus a limited pantry and a basket of mystery ingredients. Strategy, teamwork, and flavor execution will all come into play. This experience is designed for groups of six to eight participants, competing in teams.

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The Process

Team Selection: After being welcomed with snacks and soft drinks, participants will draw knives to form teams.

Warm-Up Challenge: Each experience kicks off with a quickfire competition — either a Taste Trial or Mise en Place Mayhem. These warm-ups help teams earn bragging rights and gain a strategic advantage for the main challenge.

The Ingredient Draft: Teams will rotate through four themed ingredient stations, selecting core components of their dish — proteins, sauces, bases, and toppings vary based on the event’s theme (think burgers, tacos, wraps, and more).

The Mystery Basket: After ingredient selection, each team will receive a curated basket of surprise items that must be incorporated creatively into their dish.

Planning + Cooking: Teams get five minutes to strategize, five minutes to shop the pantry, and 45–60 minutes to cook, depending on the challenge. The clock is ticking — and flavor is everything.

Plating: With five extra minutes to plate, teams will prepare their final presentation for the judges.

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The Judging

Your dish will be blind-tasted by up to three judges. Judging is based on creativity, flavor, presentation, and teamwork. Once judging wraps, everyone gets a chance to sample each team’s creation and vote for their favorite in a peer review round.

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Pick. Plan. Plate.
Can your team cook under pressure and plate like pros? Only one team will win — but every dish tells a story.

Themes:

Taco ‘Bout a Battle

One Shell. Endless Possibilities. Let the Taco Throwdown Begin.

Bring your boldest ideas to the tortilla in Taco ‘Bout a Battle, a flavor-packed showdown where teams build next-level tacos from unexpected ingredients and daring combos. Whether soft or crunchy, spicy or sweet, every taco tells a story — and your team’s creation just might be the one that takes the crown. One challenge, many layers. Are you ready to taco ’bout it?

Patty Royale

The Ultimate Burger Build-Off

This is no backyard barbecue. Patty Royale is a high-stakes burger battle where every layer counts — from the patty to the bun, and every topping in between. Your team will create signature stacks that show off technique, creativity, and serious flavor chops. Bold builds, unexpected twists, and one towering winner. It’s burger brilliance, only bigger.

Empanada Escapade

A Global-Inspired Hand Pie ShowdownGet ready for a whirlwind of flavor in Empanada Escapade, where flaky crusts and inventive fillings take the spotlight. Teams will explore bold spices, sweet and savory combos, and fast-paced prep as they craft empanadas that are as gorgeous as they are delicious. One challenge. Endless directions. Only the tastiest pockets will prevail.