Indianapolis – The World Food Championships (WFC) has announced the 2024 champions, spotlighting Indiana’s own Collin Hilton of Indianapolis, who claimed the title in the World Noodle Championship. Hilton, a chef with Cunningham Restaurant Group and representing Team Indiana, triumphed in a fierce competition that brought together culinary talents from more than 35 states and almost 20 countries at the Indiana Farm Bureau Fall Creek Pavilion.
The WFC, a global leader in food sport, hosted this year’s competition from Nov. 8-12 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in the new Farm Bureau Fall Creek Pavilion with live demonstrations, fan experiences and intense contests across 12 food categories. Hilton and the other champions will advance to the Final Table, to be held in Bentonville, Ark., where they’ll compete for an additional grand prize of $150,000.
“First of all, I want to congratulate all of our competitors for making it to the Championships – it’s a long, hard road to get here and all of them had to prove themselves along the way,” said Mike McCloud, founder of World Food Championships. “We had some outstanding competitors from all corners of the US and close to 20 countries, making this year bigger and more challenging than ever. Each of our 12 champions deserves incredible kudos. And I can’t wait to see them compete again in a few months at the Final Table for an additional Grand Prize of $150,000!”
Indiana was well represented at the event, with more than 20 chefs competing from Indianapolis and around the state. In addition to Hilton’s first place win in the noodle category, here are the Indiana chefs who placed in the top 10 in their categories:
- Alan Sternberg of Bluebeard, second in noodle.
- JJ Boston of Chef JJ’s, second in sandwich.
- Craig Baker of the InterContinental Hotel, third in sandwich.
- Jen Norem of Knox, Ind., sixth in sandwich.
- Travis Hitch of Kan-Kan, third in the chef category.
- Dave White of Great White Smoke in Bloomington, fourth in barbecue.
- Cindy Hawkins of Circle City Sweets, sixth in dessert.
- Neeti Chaudhri of Little India, fifth in rice.
- Marlen Wensel of Apricot Sun, seventh in rice.
- Marcus Daniel of Bridgeport in Fort Wayne, seventh in vegetarian.
The WFC also included a junior division. Carmel high school culinary students Julia Hohne and Maddie Arroyo took first place in the WFC Jr. competition.
This was the first year for the WFC to be held in Indianapolis, and the event is expected to return in 2025.
“It’s always a tremendous feat to see everything come together each year at our big event,” said Mike Eaton, CEO and president of World Food Championships. “Between the collection of incredible chefs that compete, our sponsors who help make everything possible and our talented team of cheferees and behind-the-scenes staff who bring this all together, it truly is a group effort. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention the amazing hospitality of our host city Indianapolis and the state of Indiana and their supportive community. The Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center made for a truly spectacular venue this year.”
Alongside Hilton, 11 other champions earned top honors in their respective categories:
- World Bacon Championship: Jack MacMurray from Ballwin, Mo.
- World Barbecue Championship: Shawn Williams, RibLife from Butler, Ala.
- World Burger Championship: Hassan Naja, One More from Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- World Chef Championship: Jevon Brewer, Umoja Food Group from St. Louis
- World Dessert Championship: Emily Bench, Piggin’ Whiskey from Hot Springs Village, Ark.
- World Live Fire Championship: Michelle O’Guinn, Ain’t it the Life from Lakeland, Tenn.
- World Rice Championship: Ryan von Smith, Chef von & Mom from Scranton, Pa.
- World Sandwich Championship: Phil Johnson, Phil the Grill from Phoenix
- World Seafood Championship: Zachary Hassilev from Fort Belvoir, Va.
- World Soup Championship: Tina Crutchfield, Soup A Stars from Aransas Pass, Texas
- World Vegetarian Championship: Ricardo Viesca Gutierrez, Sheraton Dallas from Dallas
The 2024 WFC was made possible through partnerships with presenting sponsor Sam’s Club, along with Bolners Fiesta, Tyson, Wright Brand Bacon, Famous Dave’s, St Pierre, Diversified Foods and Maple Leaf Farms. Special thanks to Visit Indy, the Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center, Indianapolis Airport Authority and Indiana Destination Development Corp. for their support in bringing this event to life.
