April Fools Mystery Basket Challenge & ACF Greater Indy Chapter Meeting

The 2026 ACF April Fools’ Mystery Basket Competition invites members and the community to come watch chefs and students think fast, cook smart, and embrace a little culinary chaos.

Each team—made up of one professional chef paired with one student—receives a surprise mystery basket featuring a required protein and a wildly unexpected April Fools wildcard ingredient. Past years have challenged teams with proteins like Kopi and Oxtail, alongside curveballs such as last year's poprocks or individual fruit pie snacks that force creativity into overdrive.

Teams are given a brief, timed planning window to design their dish before heading into the kitchen, where they’ll cook using their mystery ingredients plus access to a common pantry stocked with essential staples (oils, fats, aromatics, basic spices, flours, sugars, stocks, and standard produce). No outside ingredients or equipment are permitted—what you see is what they get.

The competition follows standard ACF-style rules for professionalism, sanitation, teamwork, and time management, with judging focused on taste, creativity, technique, and effective use of the mystery ingredients. For guests, this is a spectator-friendly event—expect energy, clever problem-solving, and plenty of “how did they pull that off?” moments as chefs and students collaborate under pressure.

Come cheer on the teams, enjoy the surprises, and celebrate the creativity that makes our culinary community so strong with the American Culinary Federation Greater Indianapolis Chapter.

Guests may observe the competition from the windows and enjoy refreshments as well as a guided session on ACF competitions.

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Host or Publisher ACF Greater Indianapolis Chapter Secretary