World Food Championships Brings High-Stakes Culinary Competition to Indy
For 12 years, Mike McCloud worked in the marketing department with the Kansas City BBQ Society, and during that time, he noticed that while there were great BBQ competitions, other silos of competition were also popping up — burger battles, sandwich slams and dessert-offs. Meanwhile, the Food Network was growing like wildfire.
“There was this undiscovered industry of competition cooks — whether that be home cooks, professional chefs or competition teams — who were as passionate as any athlete in any arena,” says McCloud, who wanted to fill that void. “These people needed their own Super Bowl where they could be celebrated for being an award-winning cook.”
He and his firm took two years to develop rules, a level playing field strategy, and a blind judging process that would allow judges to critique foods across multiple genres in the same way. The World Food Championships (WFC) debuted in 2012, using a system where competitors win their way into the big event. Once a contestant wins a qualifier, they enter a specific genre of food — Bacon, Barbecue, Burger, Chef, Dessert, Live Fire, Noodle, Rice, Sandwich, Seafood, Soup or Vegetarian.
Those winners then face two more challenges: an opening round where they bring their signature dish to the table, and a final round where they compete for the $10,000 payday in that particular genre. The 10 champions in those genres advance to the Final Table, where they complete three localized challenges.
When the WFC first debuted, it featured more than 200 teams competing for a grand prize of $50,000. This year the WFC includes 280 teams representing 49 states and 45 countries, competing for a grand prize of $150,000.
“We continue to ebb and flow with the trends of competition cooking,” McCloud says. “It’s been a lot of fun — and a lot of calories.”
Last year Collin Hilton was crowned 2024 World Noodle Champion. Hilton, corporate chef de cuisine at Cunningham Restaurant Group, stumbled into WFC when a chef buddy asked him to take his place at a Golden Ticket event.
“I didn’t realize what I’d gotten myself into,” Hilton says. “By the end of it, we [Hilton and his sous chef] were doing a chef-to-chef, one-hour competition where we had to cook something out of a shelf of ingredients.”
They won that and kept cooking. They also won at the Indiana State Fair last fall with a ricotta and honey stuffed pasta atop winter squash and a brown butter puree with fruit and Parmesan garnishes.
Judges score food by execution, appearance and taste. Contestants must upload the title and description of their dish 30 days prior to the event to establish a contract between the cook and the judge.
“When a judge knows that Contestant A created a chipotle honey glazed Polynesian hamburger, for instance, they know what they’re trying to discern so they can judge it accurately,” McCloud says.
Cheferees are on hand to ensure contestants follow the rules and to provide entertainment.
“We aren’t the Savannah Bananas of baseball, but we’re closer to that than the L.A. Dodgers,” McCloud says, noting that some competitors are animated in their cooking, which captivates the audience.
Although Hilton is not competitive by nature, he enjoyed WFC because of the camaraderie among competitors.
“You’re with people who are going through the same experience, so you become close,” Hilton says. “We all chose to stress ourselves out in the same way.”
Cooking live in front of judges, cheferees and spectators — all with a running clock ticking down — can be daunting. While the people didn’t bother Hilton, since he’s used to working in open kitchens, the clock was a different story.
“In a restaurant setting, you’re still racing against the clock to a certain degree, but if a diner gets their steak 30 seconds later, it’s fine,” Hilton says. “Here, you’re disqualified. That’s a little stressful.”
The four-day event is the world’s largest live cooking competition and includes 40 complete kitchenettes. Each day runs from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday are opening rounds, Saturday are redemption rounds, and Sunday are the finals.
The WFC is partnering with two Indianapolis nonprofits — Gleaners and Second Helpings — to donate nonperishable foods at the end of the event. They also donate unused pantry items, providing between 5,000 and 10,000 meals.
This year they anticipate between 15,000 and 20,000 spectators. A general admission ticket allows you to sample some foods, but for a more robust foodie experience, guests can upgrade with taste programs. On the weekend, the Taste of WFC offers spectators the chance to try past WFC recipes. Ignite is a BBQ weekend kickoff event on Friday night where guests can choose from four or five flavors of ribs. There are also VIP grand tastings for special guests and sponsors.
Saturday will feature family fun, starting with the Biscuits & Jampionship competition, followed by the WFC Jr., where kids in the Indy area showcase their culinary skills, and then Battle of the Branches, a veteran-based challenge representing all branches of the military.
McCloud’s favorite part of WFC is seeing chefs’ faces when they’re given a fair chance to prove their talent.
“We’ve tapped into a mindset and a passion that’s not going to go away,” he says.
The World Food Championships will be held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds from Oct. 16-19. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit worldfoodchampionships.com.
