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.
by wadmin | Apr 3, 2024 | Updates
After a successful debut in 2023, Ramp Fest is back for its second year, promising another unparalleled culinary experience at Kan-Kan Cinema & Restaurant located in Indy’s Windsor Park neighborhood. Building on the success of the inaugural Ramp Fest, this year’s event boasts impressive lineup of creative dishes as attendees savor small bites prepared by some of the area’s top chefs.
Ramps, a wild onion native to the region, take center stage in the dishes, offering a unique and savory twist to each creation. Attendees will enjoy a day of delicious food, live music, art and a celebration of the late chef Greg Hardesty, whose impact on the Indianapolis food scene can be felt throughout the city.
Having high profile chefs is important, but Ramp Fest also benefits the community, with a portion of ticket proceeds going to support the Greg Hardesty Culinary Scholarship at Ivy Tech Community College, ACLU Indiana and the Flanner House.
Tickets are available at Eventbrite.
Participating chefs include:
Michael Conley, Kan-Kan Cinema & Restaurant
Oya Woodruff, Chef’s Oya’s The TRAP
Brady Foster, Foster’s Catering (2023 World Food Championships finalist)
Erin Kem & Logan McMahan, Nicole Taylor’s Pasta + Market + Backroom Eatery
Samir & Rachel Mohammad, 9th Street Bistro (2023 James Beard Award semifinalist)
Becky Hostetter, formerly of Duos Indy
Brittney Baxter, Eat Surreal
Paul Dickens, Paul’s Kitchen
Esteban Rosas & Gabriel Sanudo, Julieta Taco Shop
Youssef Boudarine, Bluebeard + J’adore Pastry
Josh & Julie Baker, The Open Fire
Alan Sternberg, Bluebeard (2016 & 2018 James Beard Award semifinalist)
Chris Benedyk, Love Handle
Whitney Barnett, Positive Foodie Vibes
Lindsey Nowlin & Lauren Warfield- The Model Chef
by wadmin | Oct 13, 2023 | Products
B.Happy peanut butter, first launched as a family business project 10 years ago, now ships across the country and features a variety of add-ins such as nuts, dried fruits, pretzels and chocolate chips.
