CBJ Classes


 
Matt H

Matt H

TVWBB Fan
Howdy all,

I'm attending a KCBS CBJ class this Friday and was wondering if anyone knew what I should expect? How long do they usually run? Is there a test? Do I need to bring anything to be prepared? How many people on average will be in the class?

I'm excited, I even took off of work for it. I can't wait to get certified and start judging in comps.
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I'm not a CBJ, never been to a class but here's what I've heard:

6-8 hour affair with school work and actual box/meat judging. Least I hope they still teach MEAT judging and not lettuce/parsley arrangement and sauce judging.

You'll get to eat some mediocre food, usually cooked by a veteran team. Don't know why they don't put out their best food, but I've always heard that the food at the classes is terrible.

Yes, i believe they have tests for you and make sure you're not there to just become a judge to eat free on Saturdays.
 
I am going to class on May 1 in Ma. usually done in conjunction with cooking class, so we get to taste the student's food. I was told to dress warm bring paper and pen
 
Figured I'd reply with my experience in case someone is wondering what actually goes on at one of these.

Basically you show up and sign in, then sit at a table with 5 other people. The instructor said this was one of the biggest classes she's taught..about 150 of us!

Our instructor was Carolyn Wells, who is a co-founder of the KCBS and has earned her Ph.B. So it doesn't get much better than that.

We were given a CBJ manual with all of the rules of competition BBQ. The class is only four hours. The first hour we basically just went over what was in the manual so we all had an understanding of what was expected of us, and the teams. They taught us what to look for in the four meat categories, and how to judge them based on appearance, taste, and tenderness, followed by Q&A.

There was a ten minute break, and the remaining time we judged a mock competition. The food was pretty good actually. And they threw in curveballs to see if we would catch it...like improper garnish, marking of the turn in boxes, etc.

Then it all ended with the oath. It was a good experience and definitely recommended for any cooks that want to enter some competitions just to get a feel for how the judging process works.
 
And as luck would have it, I randomly sat down and got to talking to the guy next to me and it turns out he's a WSM head too, and a member of this forum! I couldn't find him on the directory though.

Chris, if you're out there buddy, drop me a line
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