Webinar_CBSE's Young India Culinary Championship (YICC) 2026-27

Main Ideas, Concepts, and Lessons

• Purpose of the webinar

  • Clarify doubts about CBSE’s Young India Culinary Championship (YICC) 2026–27 at three levels:
    • School level → Regional level → National level
  • Encourage teachers to guide students with correct:
    • procedures
    • eligibility
    • safety rules
    • judging criteria

• Core educational focus of YICC

  • Promote culinary skills as life skills
  • Build understanding of nutrition/food literacy
  • Introduce students to hospitality/career awareness in tourism and hospitality
  • Emphasize hygiene, safety, and sustainable food practices
  • Reduce reliance on processed/semi-processed foods
  • Emphasize ingredient choice based on nutritional value

• Championship structure and competition flow

  • Begins at school level (conducted by participating schools)
  • Shortlisted teams qualify for regional competitions in major city zones
  • Regional qualifiers compete at the National event in Chandigarh

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Methodology / Event Process (Detailed)

1) Participation Categories and Eligibility

• Two student categories

  • Category 1: Classes 6–8 (fireless / non-fire cooking)
  • Category 2: Classes 9–12 (fire-based cooking / cooking with heat)

• School eligibility

  • Open to regular students of CBSE-affiliated schools

• How students qualify

  • Schools conduct school-level competitions in both categories (as per plan/infrastructure)
  • Students are selected using CBSE-provided rubrics
  • Selected students move to the regional level as teams

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2) Timing and Tasks by Level

A) School Level

• Category 1 (Classes 6–8)

  • 60 minutes
  • Fireless/non-fire cooking only
  • Focus areas:
    • simple culinary preparation
    • hygiene
    • presentation
    • foundational skills (e.g., chopping board use, knife handling under supervision)

• Category 2 (Classes 9–12)

  • 90 minutes
  • Includes fire-based cooking (more time due to cooking)

B) Regional Level (Multiple cities/zones)

• Held in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai zones (venue/date/batch provided by CBSE)

• Category 1: 90 minutes

• Category 2: 90 minutes

• Requires ingredient-list submission to the coordinator (coordinator details via CBSE email/communication)

• Only nominated teams are allowed:

  • entrants come from school-level results
  • no external entries

C) National Level (Chandigarh)

• Hosted as a grand event with professional/jury engagement
• Category 1: 90 minutes
• Category 2: 120 minutes

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3) Dish/Menu Requirements (Broad)

Category 1 (Classes 6–8, Non-Fire)

• Emphasis on:
  • salads and salad variations
  • sandwiches
  • canapés
  • bean/other allowed items (as defined in notification/annexures)
• No semi-cooked / semi-finished foods brought for direct use
• Students demonstrate:
  • basic skills
  • hygiene
  • creativity through permitted preparations and assembly

Category 2 (Classes 9–12)

• Focus on dish concepting across:
  • Modern Western / European-style
  • Asian/South Asian
  • Indian
• Rules clarified:
  • No bringing already cooked food
  • Cooking is done on-site using proper equipment
• Menu flow described:
  • one dish at intermediate stages as per selection rules
  • starter + main + dessert at national stage (as described in the webinar)

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4) Equipment and What’s Allowed/Disallowed (High-Level)

• School level, Category 1 (non-fire)

  • Allowed (as mentioned):
    • mixer/grinder
    • toaster
    • hand blenders
    • small permitted appliances
  • Air fryer not allowed (explicitly stated)
  • Use under adult supervision with safety measures

• Category 2 (fire-based)

  • Induction is allowed (explicitly mentioned)

• General restrictions

  • Avoid unsafe activity or pre-prepped/partially cooked entries
  • Appliances/ingredients must comply with SOP/safety and supervision rules

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5) Food Rules: Ingredients, Processing, Freshness

• Processed/semi-processed food discouraged

  • Prefer ingredient choices linked to nutrition

• Freshness is important

  • Semi-processed/packed/preserved items are restricted
  • Example clarification: ginger-garlic paste must be fresh, not preserved/packed

• Clarified recurring rule:

  • avoid semi-processed/semi-cooked items
  • follow allowed items in annexures

• Readymade items (discussed)

  • Vegetarian mayonnaise (brand-based): discussed as permitted for some preparations (subject to rules)
  • Chutneys/savory mixes/proprietary foods: discussed as allowed when used as bases (within rule boundaries)

• Egg and non-veg restrictions

  • Non-veg/egg not permitted under the vegetarian menu requirements described for relevant stages
  • Egg/sausages containing egg explicitly not allowed where applicable
  • For Category 2 dessert/menu requirements at national level, it was clearly stated: eggs are not to be used

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6) Hygiene, Safety, and Compliance Requirements

• Mandatory hygiene practices

  • Hair/head coverage
  • Chef coat/apron and protective presentation
  • Clean work practices and controlled contamination
  • Safe handling of ingredients/tools

• Workplace safety

  • Adult supervision during knife/appliance use
  • Proper workstation organization and waste control

• Emergency readiness

  • First-aid/basic emergency support available during school events

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7) Judging and Assessment Rubrics (Methodology)

A) School Level Judging

• Judged by a panel of competent teachers
  • may include teachers with relevant backgrounds such as:
    • Home Science / Food Production
  • outsiders/industry chefs may also be included
• Rubric parameters (out of 100) described:
  • Taste, flavour, aroma (~30 marks)
  • Texture/doneness (part of the same emphasized section)
  • Presentation (part of the same set; emphasized)
  • Hygiene and food safety
  • Creativity and authenticity
  • Nutritional/ingredient logic
  • Workplace organization and waste control
• Output expectations
  • Two portions prepared:
    1. Display portion
    2. Judge portion (tasting/evaluation)

B) Regional Level Judging

• Judged by a jury panel including industry/professional representation
• Greater emphasis on:
  • waste control
  • workplace organization
• Focus shifts toward:
  • nutritional balance
  • higher-level assessment through the rubric

C) National Level Judging

• Larger, more professional judging environment
• Continued emphasis on:
  • nutrition/health balance
  • hygiene/safety
  • creativity/authenticity
  • consistency and presentation discipline

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8) Submission/Registration Timeline and Documentation

• School-level registration deadline: 1st August
• School-level competition deadline: 15th August

• After school level:

  • Schools receive/update guidance for regional participation via CBSE communications (email/shikshahi-linked communications mentioned)

• Nomination form / NOC

  • No single universal format
  • Schools prepare their participation/nomination form
  • Schools must obtain parent consent (NOC) in a school-defined format

• Record/footage

  • Schools instructed to record glimpses
  • Full filming of the entire event isn’t expected
  • Focus on capturing:
    • winners
    • key moments

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9) Teams Going Forward (How Many)

• At regional level, each school sends:
  • one team per category
  • one team = two students
• If a school conducts both categories at school level, it sends:
  • two teams total (Category 1 team + Category 2 team)
• National participation count depends on CBSE/jury decisions based on regional outcomes

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Speakers / Sources Mentioned (From Subtitles)

• Doctor Pooja Akshay — Assistant Director, CBSE Department of Skill Education
• Mr. Amol Bajaj — YICC Committee member (slides; rules and rubrics follow-ups)
• Dr. Nikhil Singh Charak — YICC committee member (slides on levels and categories)
• Miss Shefali Arya — YICC committee member (Q&A/clarifications)
• Dr. Vishwajit Shah — Director, Department of Skill Education, CBSE (addressed; encouraged; later guidance)
• R. P. Singh — Joint Secretary, Department of Skill Education, CBSE
• Satish — Joint Secretary, Department of Skill Education, CBSE
• CBSE / Department of Skill Education — organizer and source of official notifications, circulars, rubrics, dates, and regional coordination
• Young India Culinary Championship Trophy Committee — committee overseeing YICC

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