{"id":10065,"date":"2019-02-04T09:30:49","date_gmt":"2019-02-04T17:30:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/?p=10065"},"modified":"2019-03-20T08:31:51","modified_gmt":"2019-03-20T15:31:51","slug":"world-food-championships-worlds-largest-foodfight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/world-food-championships-worlds-largest-foodfight\/","title":{"rendered":"World Food Championships: The World\u2019s Largest Foodfight and Feeding Frenzy"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have to eat more bacon? Really? Who wouldn\u2019t want that? Okay, maybe vegetarians not so much. But I have it on good authority \u2013 my one vegan friend \u2013 that that bovine delicacy is the verboten food most missed. And here I am, immersed in it. Engulfed by ten different, tantalizing bacon dishes which I\u2019m supposed to judge as part of the 2018 International World Food Championships in Orange Beach, Alabama.<\/p>\n

But first, some background. Known affectionately as the Ultimate Foodfight, the WFC is the largest culinary competition on the planet. The event brought together over 1500 chefs from 42 states and 13 countries preparing almost 6000 dishes in 10 categories \u2013 Steak, Sandwiches, Chicken, Barbecue, Chile, Burgers, Seafood, bacon, Dessert and Chef (a sort of testing opportunity for potential new categories) \u2013 hoping to share in\u00a0over $350,000, the largest prize purse in the Food Sport industry. They take that \u201csports\u201d metaphor seriously \u2013 lots of sporting references get bandied about.<\/p>\n

\"dishes
Photo Credit: Fyllis Hockman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

First, the important stuff: a judging lesson. Absorb the dish; become one with it so that you can digest it on multiple levels. Okay, he didn\u2019t really say that but it was the message. Eat with your eyes first: it\u2019s important for the dish to be visually appealing, which can range from enh to I can\u2019t wait to eat it. In short, for taste \u2013 a 1 \u2013 you\u2019re spitting it out in a napkin; 10 \u2013 you\u2019d drive 100 miles to eat it! 5 is fast food \u2013 and at WFC, the caliber is so high, most of your scores should be between 8 and 10. A 7 would imply a bad day. But the tricky one is execution: does the dish do what the chef promises? Can you taste the main ingredient and the \u201cinfused\u201d one (a euphemism for the sponsor\u2019s food item that has to be included)? Do all the ingredients work well together? And so we became Certified Food Judges and I found the whole prospect terrifying!<\/p>\n

\"rules
Photo Credit: Fyllis Hockman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And the process? Picture the Food Network on steroids! In the opening rounds, dozens of competing teams in a category have an hour+ to prepare their dishes in the tented “Kitchen Arena.\u201d From these, 10 teams in each category move on, from which a winner emerges $10,000 richer. That\u2019s where my Certified Judge expertise was tested.<\/p>\n

\"burgers
Photo Credit: Fyllis Hockman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"chef
Photo Credit: Fyllis Hockman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Kitchen Arena bursts with so many sounds, smells, sights, steam, sauces, spices, seasonings \u2013 and oh yes, sweat! Some of the competitors are calm \u2013 most of them are frantic. And some, despite the intensity of their endeavors, actually found the time to call me over for a taste \u2013 and then glowed with satisfaction as my taste buds exploded in appreciation. So I just tasted a sample of pork and bacon and cheese in a tortilla and my eyes glazed over in ecstasy. Yup, best thing I\u2019ve ever tasted. Others around me noted they didn\u2019t taste the jalape\u00f1o or the tequila \u2013 apparently a necessity \u2013 although I\u2019m ready to give the chef $10,000 on the spot. And once again, I figure I\u2019m the wrong person for this job.<\/p>\n

After the frenetic prep time, there’s a 10-minute “turn-in” window, as the chefs race to get their dishes to the front table (one large main dish, upon which “appearance” is judged; and multiple “samples”\u00a0to be tasted by the judges). The cry goes out. \u201cOne minute, 15 seconds; you should be walking to the turn-in table.\u201d People running down the aisles \u2013 gingerly \u2013 with platters of food and culinary destiny hanging in the balance. Incredibly anxiety-provoking even for the onlookers.<\/p>\n

\"dishes
Photo Credit: Fyllis Hockman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Meanwhile, a new set of chefs are now at their stands cutting, carving, chopping, mincing, slicing, dicing, stirring, sampling, to get ready for the next round. So competitive \u2013 defending champions get knocked out \u2013 first-time entrants prevail. The 37 different versions of a burger boggle the mind \u2013 looking all dressed up for a special occasion \u2013 which it indeed is! Layers of bacon, of course, and cheese and tomatoes and onions and mushrooms and foie gras<\/em> \u2013 yes, foie gras<\/em> and chili and tomato jam and sausage and fried oysters and fried eggs and pineapple and jalapenos and gravies galore plus a variety of buns, including a pair of grilled cheese sandwiches on either side of the alleged burger. One tray boasted steak knives stuck in each bun. Cameras everywhere on auto-pilot.<\/p>\n

\"grilled
Photo Credit: Fyllis Hockman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"contestants
Photo Credit: Fyllis Hockman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Back to the floor to watch the dessert competitors: stirring, basting, scraping, slurping, saut\u00e9ing, baking, grating, whirring, mixing\u2026 Always, perpetual motion in a well-orchestrated symphony of mayhem. Again, the inevitable countdown \u2013 six minutes and only one tray has been turned in \u2013 the tension mounts \u2013 as platter after platter overflowing with incredible creations rush to get to the main table without destroying the edible masterpieces. It\u2019s as exciting as a super bowl game \u2013 and then the dreaded extra point needed to win bounces off the goal post. So yes, it happens. One chef reaches the table a second late and is disqualified. A year or more of preparation and planning, not to mention the recent hours of slaving over the stove, undone by a second delay. It was heart-breaking, even for me!<\/p>\n

And finally, the moment of truth. I\u2019m judging the 10 finalists in the bacon category. I remind myself not to compare the dishes to each other or to any childhood memory I may have. Does it look like my dream bacon dish? Does the taste make me want to eat it forever? Can I detect the infusion of Red Gold Tomatoes with Green Chilis? I have no time to bemoan my sense of inadequacy. I simply revel in my bacon immersion as 10 huge platters of unidentifiable bacon dishes are placed in front of me. Okay, there\u2019s Bacon and Tomato Trio, Savory Bacon Bread Pudding Souffl\u00e9 with Tomato Choron (I have no idea what that is), Acorn Squash stuffed with Bacon and Fresh Veggies, Pan Seared Salmon with Puttanesco Sauce (see choron reference) with bacon lardon, basil and fennel, but I can hardly distinguish one from the other.<\/p>\n

\"the
Ms. Fyllis Hockman at the judging table.<\/span> Photo by Victor Block<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I feel frantic as I taste one and then another and then back to the first and on to the tenth, barely coming up for air. Definitely gives whole new meaning to the term feeding frenzy. I mark random though hopefully meaningful numbers between 8 and 10 on my score card. I\u2019ve never eaten so much so fast and but surprisingly wasn\u2019t yet tired of bacon. My favorite dish? A scrumptious pink-and-white icing-topped Bacon Cupcake, which I gave 10 for appearance, 10 for taste but only an 8 for execution. I didn\u2019t taste any chili tomatoes and hated having to mark it down. Maybe I should have chosen the dessert category\u2026\u00a0 For more information, visit worldfoodchampionships.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have to eat more bacon? Really? Who wouldn\u2019t want that? Okay, maybe vegetarians not so much. But I have it on good authority \u2013 my one vegan friend \u2013 that that bovine delicacy is the verboten food most missed. And here I am, immersed in it. Engulfed by ten different, tantalizing bacon dishes which I\u2019m supposed to judge as part of the 2018 International World Food Championships in Orange Beach, Alabama.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":10059,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[2035,2036,2031,2037,2034,2032,2033],"class_list":["post-10065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel-usa","tag-alabama","tag-food-sport","tag-international-world-food-championships","tag-judging","tag-orange-beach","tag-ultimate-foodfight","tag-wfc"],"yoast_head":"\nWorld Food Championships: The World\u2019s Largest Foodfight - Traveling Boy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Known affectionately as the Ultimate Foodfight, the World Food Championships is the largest culinary competition on the planet.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/world-food-championships-worlds-largest-foodfight\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"World Food Championships: The World\u2019s Largest Foodfight - 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