The World Food Championships (WFC) just completed the South Carolina Super Regional Qualifier and selected numerous local chefs to make up the first-ever Team Lake Murray Country, a competitive culinary team that will now represent the Palmetto State at the 9th Annual Ultimate Food Fight, scheduled for November 5-9 in Dallas, Texas.
The qualifier was integrated into the Taste of Lake Murray, a food event that benefits the Lake Murray July 4th, Fireworks Show. In addition to impressing WFC representatives, 15 chefs from the region were tasked with producing their best samples for almost 600 guests, all of whom got to vote on their favorite flavors of the night to create Team Lake Murray through a people’s choice process.
The six dishes to receive the most votes earned a spot on Team Lake Murray Country, where they’ll now go head-to-head against the world’s best cooks for a chance at WFC’s $350,000 prize purse in November.
Team Lake Murray Country now includes:
1. Kevin Schwab of Bistro on the Boulevard
2. Henry Griffin of Griffin Chophouse
3. Arif Rizvi of RF’s Corner Grill
4. Brandon Velie of Juniper
5. John Worthington of Figaro the Dining Room
6. Jon Cooper of Alodia’s Cucina Italiana
In a final twist to the event, WFC’s President and CEO Mike McCloud awarded a Chairman’s Choice award to Eric Crissey of Columbo’s Restaurant. Should any of the six top winners not be able to compete as a part of Team Lake Murray Country at WFC, Crissey will attend in their place.
“We’re excited to send our six talented chefs to the World Food Championship,” said Miriam Atria, Capital City/Lake Murray Country President/CEO. This is an amazing opportunity for the Capital City/Lake Murray Country region and for the state of South Carolina. We are thrilled to bring South Carolina’s cuisine for the world to savor.”
Next, Team Lake Murray County will be assigned to their categories and learn about WFC’s EAT Methodology, which is now more than 8,000 dishes are judged and scored at the main event in Dallas. More than 450 teams from 40 states and 10 countries are expected to participate in this year’s tournament, which will feature 10 categories of food and be filmed for a special TV show.
The World Food Championships (WFC) is a multi-day, live event culinary competition that showcases some of the world’s best cooks who compete for food, fame, and fortune in 10 categories (Bacon, Barbecue, Burger, Chef, Dessert, Recipe, Sandwich, Seafood, Soup, and Steak).
