by wadmin | Aug 22, 2024 | Updates
It isn’t every day that you get to help choose the winner of a cook-off. But attendees at the Perfect Bite Championships get to do just that at the Sept. 22 Indianapolis event, part of Paramount Schools of Excellence’s annual Turn Festival.
Foodies can buy tickets now to enjoy “perfect bites” from 20 of the region’s top chefs. Their votes for the best bite from among 20 chefs will help determine the top six finalists. Then those chefs compete head-to-head in an audience-participation-driven final event to determine who are the ultimate champions.
The six finals chefs will compete head-to-head and can cook with a single sous chef of their choosing in a 45-minute “perfect plate” challenge. Finalists will have a pot of boiling water, cutting board and an induction burner and pan in addition to a stocked pantry. A team of culinary experts will judge the finals, and the winning chefs in each category receive $750. Winners also receive a Golden Ticket qualifying them to compete at the World Food Championships in Indianapolis in November. This one-night tasting extravaganza features exclusive access to those perfect bites from 20 culinary masters as well as drinks, desserts, a silent auction and an open bar.
Reserve your tickets here.
by wadmin | Aug 8, 2024 | Updates
The Indiana State Fair runs through Aug. 18, and all of us here at Culinary Crossroads hope you’ll get to enjoy all the food, animal encounters, agricultural displays, music, rides and games that the fair offers.
But there’s a new face that we hope you’ll look for too, someone who has a great message about a big event coming to the fairgrounds this fall. Mark Conway of the World Food Championships will be at the fair throughout its 18-day run, tasting his way around the fairgrounds and getting everyone primed for the largest event in food sport.
The World Food Championships will take place at the Indiana Farm Bureau Fall Creek Pavilion at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Nov. 8-12. More than 1,200 chefs, home cooks and professional barbecue teams will be competing in a dozen categories to take home the top prizes.
One of the food vendors at this year’s state fair will be competing too. The winner of the Taste of the Fair will receive a Golden Ticket to compete in the WFC along with all the Team Indiana chefs who have already qualified. So there will be plenty of Indiana chefs to root for in November!
Tickets for the competition are now on sale, and in addition to general admission tickets, you can add special Taste of the WFC and VIP tix as well.
We’ll see you there!
by wadmin | Jul 10, 2024 | Updates
Indy chef Steven Amore took top honors in a recent “tapas throwdown” in downtown Indianapolis at the Market Table at the Alexander hotel. Sponsored by the Kelly Wensing Community Fund, the event featured five Indianapolis chefs vying for a spot at the World Food Championships that will be held Nov. 8-12 at the Farm Bureau Fall Creek Pavilion at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Amore will compete in the vegetarian category at the competition.
Taking second place in the tapas competition was chef Tracey Couillard of 317 Pasta in Indianapolis. She secured a place in the WFC’s Last Chance Qualifier, where she will compete for one of the remaining spots in the competition.
The World Food Championships is the largest competition in food sport, where culinary competitors of previous events convene for a chance at winning the ultimate food crown and a share of hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money. The WFC attracts more than 1,500 competitors from across the country and around the world, including home cooks, professional chefs and barbecue teams.
For more information on the World Food Championships, including ticket info, click here.
by wadmin | Jun 14, 2024 | Updates
Have you noticed our countdown clock at the top of our Culinary Crossroads website? If you haven’t visited our site, please check it out. Our “countdown to the throwdown” clock shows that it’s less than 150 days until the World Food Championships begin in Indy!
The big event takes place Nov. 8-12, 2024, at the Indiana Farm Bureau Fall Creek Pavilion at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, where more than 1,200 chefs, home cooks and professional barbecue teams will battle it out to win in 10 categories, everything from burgers and barbecue to seafood and sandwiches. This year the competition will also feature a growing Jr. WFC competition featuring middle and high school students.
We hope you’ll plan on attending what will be the world’s largest culinary competition. WFC attendees can not only watch the chefs cook, but there will also be plenty of sampling and shopping opportunities. Be sure to mark it on your calendar and plan to attend.
Until then, you can check out some culinary qualifying action in Indy as chefs in local competitions try to win a Golden Ticket that qualifies them to enter the championships.
The Eastside Games Cooking Competition takes place June 17 at Chef JJ’s Public House in downtown Indy. Local and regional chefs will battle it out for a Golden Ticket, and attendees can also enjoy live cooking demos and tastings. Tickets are available here.
Put the Perfect Bite Championship on your calendar as well. At the Sept. 22 event, part of Paramount Schools of Excellence TURN Festival, 20 high-profile chefs will each bring their perfect bite to the table, and attendees vote to decide which chefs should receive a Golden Ticket to compete at the World Food Championships. The chefs with the most votes compete in the category finals for the top prizes. You can get tickets here.
We’ll see you there!
by wadmin | May 2, 2024 | Updates
The Taste of America Recipe Contest Series is now open! This fun, virtual Taste of America series event is an official 2024 WFC qualifier, presented by Sam’s Club and using their exclusive, private label Member’s Mark brand products.
Through this contest, participants will be challenged to create their best dish that includes any Member’s Mark products. Products must be identified in the recipe submission.
This online recipe contest ends May 15, and the winners will be announced on WFC’s Facebook page the week of May 20. So create your best recipe using private label Member’s Mark products, and you might win that golden ticket to the World Food Championships in Indianapolis Nov. 8-12. Find out more here.
