The Empire Cooks Back

May the 4th Festival Cook-Off Summary: “The Empire Cooks Back”

Enter Your Best Dish!

Teams will battle for culinary glory, creating mouthwatering, creative dishes. Teams will prepare their best/favorite dish in the Best Of The Best Culinary Contest that celebrates Louisiana’s love for Star Wars. With each team’s creative dish masterpiece, showcase your skills on a galactic stage for prizes and bragging rights!

This exciting cook-off is part of the May the 4th Festival, Louisiana’s largest Star Wars celebration, raising funds to support local high school band programs . A portion of this year’s proceeds will benefit this year’s chosen school. Come out to support these talented young musicians and the broader music community — and enjoy some out-of-this-world food along the way!

Key details:

Date: Saturday, May 2, 2026
Early Bird Registration Fee: $100 (non-refundable)
After April 1: $125 (non-refundable)
Proceeds Benefit: Local high school band programs
Pay Online with PayPal or
Mail Entry Fee To:
M4 Louisiana
ATTN: GCCS
221 Venture Blvd, Houma, LA 70360

Teams provide:

All equipment, ingredients, and setup items to prepare your best dish.
M4 Louisiana will supply sample bowls, utensils, and napkins

Prep work:

Cutting vegetables/meat is allowed before arrival
No cooking may be done beforehand except for approved plain rice or noodles

Serving Requirement:

Teams must prepare enough servings for 300 people

Set Up Time:

Team set-up time begins at 6:00 a.m.; vehicles must be removed by 8:00 a.m.
A team captain’s meeting will take place at 8:00am.
Cooking may begin after setting up a team tent.

Booth Space/Accomodations:

Max Dimensions: 10 ft. x 10 ft.
Team Name should be identified within the team’s tent.
No political signage allowed
Booth spaces will be assigned by payment order and/or cook-off committee.

Judging and prizes:

Samples will be brought to the judges’ area no earlier than 11:00am and no later than 11:10am. This location will be identified in the captain’s meeting.
Judging boxes will be provided.
Prizes awarded by the judges are for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. People’s Choice will be determined by the voting public in attendance.
People’s choice tickets will be picked at 3pm by a committee member.

important details:

Family-friendly event: Team captains are responsible for their team’s conduct
Teams are not allowed to begin tearing down until after the awards are announced.
Teams must begin serving the public at 11:00 a.m.
Maintain and clean your cooking area
Teams using grease/oil must provide proper absorbent ground covering
Grease Disposal: Teams are responsible for off-premises disposal (no provided containers)
Fire Safety: A fire extinguisher must always be in full view (checked by Fire Marshall)