WFC Announces Bethany Boedicker as the 11th World Food Champion!!
Some of the best chefs in the world compete in 11 different categories at the World Food Championships (WFC), a prestigious culinary competition that spans a couple of days. These categories include Burger, Bacon, Seafood, Barbecue, Chef, Live Fire, Rice/Noodle, Sandwich, Soup, Vegetarian and Dessert. Thousands of cooking teams compete in formal qualifying events to gain Golden Tickets, which allow them to compete for a spot at the WFC. The competition has grown in popularity since its debut in 2012, with representation from almost 40 countries and every state in America.
Ladies and gentlemen, the 2024 World Food Championships has come to an exciting conclusion as Bethany Boedicker of Galveston, Texas has been crowned the 11th World Food Champion! Bethany won after a challenging two-day competition hosted at Brightwater: A Centre for the Study of Food in Bentonville, Arkansas. She competed against ten other champions in 11 different categories. She not only takes home the prestigious title, but also a grand prize of $150,000.
Famous chefs Matthew Cooper, Joe “Trae” Basore III, and Timothy Ordway judged the competition and placed the contestants in three rounds of challenges. In the first round, the chefs had to create a family-style meal using locally sourced produce and items from sponsor Sam’s Club. From there, judges narrowed down the field to six champions who moved on to the next challenge.
The second round, “Taste and Recreate”, was hosted by Chef Basore who presented a pork roulette dish for the competitors to replicate without any prior instruction. Only four champions advanced to the final round, where Executive Chef Ordway tasked them with creating a dish inspired by a private tour of the exhibitions at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
In the end, it was Bethany Boedicker’s beautifully designed plate titled “Natural Selection” that won the judges over. This is Boedicker’s second time winning the Dessert category at WFC and her third time competing overall. She is a seasoned chef with over 10 years of experience and was supported by her family throughout the competition.
Founder and COO of WFC, Mike McCloud, expressed his appreciation for all 11 competitors and the chefs who put together a challenging final table. He also congratulated Bethany on her well-deserved win.
For Bethany, winning the 2024 World Food Championship is a dream come true and a life-changing accomplishment. She plans to use a portion of her prize to give back to her community and to open her own bakery.
The World Food Championships has been a major success since its debut in 2012, drawing in a global following and impacting the food industry in various ways. The 2024 World Food Championships will take place in Indianapolis, Indiana in November, with qualifying events happening throughout the year.
Addressing the World Food Championships,
The World Food Championships (WFC) is the most prestigious Food Sports competition in the world. Some of the top chefs in the world compete in 11 different areas (Bacon, Barbecue, Burger, Chef, Dessert, Live Fire, Rice/Noodle, Sandwich, Seafood, Soup, and Vegetarian) for food, fame, and money during this multi-day live event culinary competition. Every year, hundreds of cook teams attempt to gain entry for the World Food Championship (WFC) by obtaining a Golden Ticket at an official qualifying, which takes place in January. Since the WFC’s founding in 2012, nearly 40 nations and all 50 states of America have been represented at the main event.
