World Food Championships Nov. 8-12 At The Wharf
World Food Championships Nov. 8-12 At The Wharf
Almost 500 cook teams from 45 states and 20 countries are expected to compete in the 6th Annual World Food Championships, which relocated to The Wharf last year to conduct its 10 categories of cooking competitions and dole out more than $300,000 in cash and prizes.
Competition categories for the Nov. 8-12 event are: Barbecue, Burger, Chili, Seafood, Dessert, Sandwich, Bacon, Recipe and Steak.
Billed as the Ultimate Food Fight, the World Food Championships is a five day showdown pitting hundreds of cooking and culinary teams from around the world against each other.
The WFC is free to attend, but there are numerous grazing and ticketed events for people to eat and enjoy. Tickets are available at worldfoodchampionships.. com or (in most cases) at the event.
• VIP Lounge – With tickets for the VIP Lounge, you’ll have the ultimate foodie experience. Be treated to a bird’s-eye view of the competitors’ turn-in action and get to taste a sample straight from the competitors’ tables. In addition, they will enjoy chef demos and complimentary refreshments. The VIP Lounge will be available Friday, Nov. 10, through Sunday, Nov. 12.
• Low Country Boil – For only $20, join Operation BBQ Relief on Thursday, Nov. 9, for a traditional Low Country Boil to benefit the organization. This is an all-you-can-eat affair.
• WFC Tasting Village – For Friday through Sunday, get tickets to the Tasting Village for only $5. Here you can sample foods from local, regional and national food brands.
• Bourb’N’Que – The Southern-style Bourb’N’Que fundraiser is on Friday, Nov. 10. Enjoy bourbon whiskey samples, premium pork from Compart Duroc, and recipes from esteemed food champs. VIP ticket holders will receive entry one hour early and a customized bottle of bourbon. Tickets are $75 for general admission and $100 for VIP.
• Food Trucks – From Friday through Sunday, enjoy interesting eats from fun food trucks.
• Around the World in 100 Bites – Tour the world through food on Saturday, Nov. 11. Chef David Skinner of Eculent will prepare iconic dishes and present them in a whimsical manner. Tickets are $150.
• Yacht Club Progressive Dinner Party -Dinner on five yachts with five food champs and five award-winning dishes. Only 50 tickets at $295 are available for this inaugural event scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 11.
• Jazz Brunch – As a fundraiser for a USA Hospitality & Tourism Management Scholarship, Chef Katie Dixon will prepare a four-course Mediterranean heart-healthy menu with signature cocktail on Sunday, Nov. 12. The jazz brunch is $60 and the cooking demo is $20.
• Addressing Allergies In Food Service – The Allergy & Asthma Network and WFC will take a closer look at Allergies in Food Service Industry. Come hear Ruchi Gupta, MD Michael Pistiner, and MD Celebrity Chef Elizabeth Falkner discuss some of the major factors to consider when dealing with food allergies on Nov. 10 from 8:30-10:30 a.m.. Tickets are on a first come, first serve basis, and they’re free.
• Certified Judge Classes – Become a Gold Card-carrying expert as a certified Food Champ Judge on Tuesday, Nov. 7. This kitchen classroom experience is hosted by a certified food sport professional who takes you through our proprietary E.A.T Methodology so you can be eligible to judge at any WFC event, starting with the 2017 Championships.
Upon completion of the class, you will join our growing community of WFC Judges. Space is limited for this class. So make your reservations soon!
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Alabama Seafood is WFC’s presenting sponsor Alabama Gulf Seafood will be the presenting sponsor of the World Seafood Championship, which will require several challenges from the contestants including an Oyster Rockefeller dish. The chefs and cooks will also have the opportunity to use shrimp and several other fresh seafood options from the Gulf as part of this year’s support from AGS. Each category requires a Structured Dish and Signature Dish in thefirst round. The Top 10 competitors move on to a final round, where they have to infuse a special ingredient to win the $10,000 prize purse and the 2017 World Seafood title. Last year’s top two winners in the tournament, including Hawaiian Chef and the 2016 World Seafood Champ James Aptakin, used Alabama Gulf Seafood as part of their recipe dishes.
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Competitive Categories
– World Bacon Championship
– World Barbecue Championship
– World Open Chili Championship
– World Burger Championship
– World Sandwich Championship
– World Recipe Championship
– Bacon World Championship
– World Dessert Championship
– World Chef Challenge
– World Seafood Championship
– World Invit. Steak Championship
– Women’s BBQ Championship
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WFC Final Table event will now be held in April
The World Food Championships Final Table will now be held as the WFC’s first digital streaming event with a major media partner, in April of 2018 at a location that has yet to be announced. The Final Table, a competition for $100,000 among all the WFC winners has in the past been held on the final day of the WFC. “It’s the same process that is used at the World Series of Poker, which exploded when its Final Table was televised live for the first time,’’ said Mike McCloud, President & CEO of WFC.
While pointing out last month that details about the new streaming deal can’t be revealed yet, McCloud said the main process for the 2017 championship will occur as originally planned.
“The key difference now is that once we crown our 10 category champions on Nov 11th and 12th, every one can go home or simply enjoy The Wharf and Orange Beach for a few extra days for some much needed downtime,” he said.
For WFC and its champions, however, the downtime will be short lived. Based on the new Final Table strategy, the 10 champions will go into prep mode almost immediately as PR, planning and media training kick in during the holidays.
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Wednesday, November 8
10am – 1pm: Chef Challenge – Opening Round
1:30 – 4:30pm: Steak Championship – Opening Round
Thursday, November 9
9am – 2pm: Barbecue Ancillaries
9am – noon: Bacon Championship – Opening Round
12:30pm – 3:30pm: Seafood Championship – Opening Round
4pm – 7:00pm: Dessert Championship – Opening Round
6pm – 8pm: Operation BBQ Relief’s Low Country Boil
6pm – 6:45pm: Shelby Brown
7pm – 8pm: Awards
Friday, November 10
8:30am – 12:30pm: Addressing Allergies in Food Service
9am – 5pm: Barbecue Championship Opening Round
9am – 12pm: Recipe Championship – Opening Round
11am – 4pm: World Food Games
11am – 5pm: Food Trucks
11am – 4pm: Tasting Village
12:30pm – 3:30pm: Burger Championship – Opening Round
1pm – 4pm: Women’s Championship BBQ Series
1pm – 2pm: Cup Stacking Demo
3pm – 4pm: Granny Grilling Challenge
4pm – 7pm: Sandwich Championship – Opening Round
6pm – 8pm: Bourb’N’Que
6pm – 6:45pm: Brigham Cason
7pm – 8pm: Awards
Saturday, November 11
8am – 12pm: Open Chili Championship – Opening Round
9am – 11:30am: World Chef Challenge – Top Ten Round
10am – 12:30pm: Invitational Steak – Top Ten Round
10am – 3pm: Barbecue Championship Opening Round
11am – 4pm: World Food Games
11am – 6pm: Food Trucks
11am – 4pm: Tasting Village
12pm – 2:30pm: World Bacon Championship – Top Ten Round
1pm – 4pm: Thrilla at the Grilla
1pm – 3:30pm: eafood Championship – Top Ten Round
1pm – 5pm: Open Chili Championship – Opening Round 3:pm – 1pm – 2pm: Cup Stacking Demo
3:00pm – 4pm: Cup Stacking Demo
4pm – 6pm: The Yacht Club $100,000 Dinner Party
5pm – 5:45pm: Tommy Morse Band
5:30pm: Dessert Championship – Top Ten Round
6pm – 8pm: Awards
Sunday, November 12
10am – 12:30pm: Recipe Championship – Top Ten Round
10:30am – 2:30pm: Jazz Brunch Fundraiser
11am – 4pm: World Food Games
11am – 6pm: Food Trucks
11am – 4pm: Tasting Village
11am – 1:30pm: Burger Championship – Top Ten Round
11:30am – 2pm: Barbecue Championship – Top Ten Round
12pm – 2:30pm: Super Qualifier Round
1pm – 3:30pm: Sandwich Championship – Top Ten Round
2pm – 4:30pm: Open Chili Championship – Top Ten Round
5pm – 5:45pm: Three Bean Soup Band
6pm – 8pm: Awards