World Food Championships Crown Bethany Boedicker the 11th Annual Food Champion

Chef Boedicker takes home title of World Food Champion and $150,000 prize

BENTONVILLE, Ark., April 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The World Food Championships is proud to announce the winner of the 2024 World Food Championships, Bethany Boedicker. The final table was comprised of champions across 11 distinct categories, all competing over the course of two days to take home the ultimate prize of $150,000 and the title of the 11^th World Food Champion. The competition took place at Brightwater: A Center for the Study of Food in Bentonville, Arkansas, where chefs Matthew Cooper, Joe "Trae" Basore III, and Timothy Ordway devised a series of challenges to determine the winner.

The first round consisted of Chef Matthew Cooper of Conifer Bentonville asking the 11 competitors to create a family-style meal with a main course and sides from a basket composed of locally sourced produce and Member's Mark items from sponsor Sam's Club. From there, judges whittled down the field to just six champions who would advance to the second challenge.

The second "Taste and Recreate" challenge was hosted by Chef Joe "Trae" Basore III of Bentonville's Bar Cleeta, who sampled a pork roulette with a blueberry mostarda and required competitors to replicate it to the best of their culinary abilities without any previous instruction on process or specific ingredients. Judges narrowed it down to a final field of just four champions – Bethany Boedicker (Dessert Champion) from Galveston, Texas; Pascal Aussignac (Vegetarian Champion) from London; John McFadden (Seafood Champion) from Australia; and Joannes Richard (Burger Champion) from France for the third and final challenge.

These four champions were then tested by Executive Chef Timothy Ordway from Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art to focus on a dish of creative expression with color, plating and of course flavors/taste inspired by a private tour of the current exhibitions and tasting event at the museum; the challenge was titled "From Palette to Palate". Bethany Boedicker took home the win with a beautifully-designed plate entitled "Natural Selection", consisting of cheese mousse, honey red berry and herb coulis, sweet & salty pistachio crumble in a poured sugar shell.

Chef Boedicker is a two-time WFC Dessert Champion residing in Galveston, Texas and hailing originally from Lima, Ohio. She is a three-time Time WFC Chef competitor with over 10 years' experience cooking professionally. During the Championship weekend, she cooked alongside her husband and son.

"It was a pleasure to watch 11 masters of their crafts who had already been crowned winners in their individual categories, competing with one another for the prestigious title of World Champion and a check for $150,000," added Mike McCloud, Founder & Chief Operating Officer of the World Food Championships. "While there could only be one winner, I want to thank all the competitors as well as the chefs who helped put together such a unique and challenging final table for an amazing finish. And of course, a heartfelt congratulations to Bethany."

"This is a dream come true to take home the title and a life-changing prize," added World Food Champion Bethany Boedicker. "It's an accomplishment I'll be able to relish for the rest of my career, and I just appreciate the opportunity to go out there and compete against the best of the best. In terms of the prize, I'm going to be providing some of the winnings to my church, helping my son payoff his car loan, and then the rest will go towards opening a brick-and-mortar bakery!"

Since its debut in 2012, WFC has amassed a large worldwide following, providing a one-of-a-kind culinary experience at its events, as well as numerous live and made-for-TV shows. In addition to popularizing competitive cooking, the WFC platform has had an undeniable impact on the food industry, facilitating the creation of more than 10,000 new dishes and supporting communities via partnerships with various local non-profits, charities, and food banks throughout the United States. The 2024 World Food Championships will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana on November 8-12, with qualifying events being conducted throughout the year.

About World Food Championships
The World Food Championships (WFC) is the highest stakes Food Sport competition in the world. This multi-day, live event culinary competition showcases some of the world's best cooks who compete for food, fame, and fortune in 11 categories (Bacon, Barbecue, Burger, Chef, Dessert, Live Fire, Rice/Noodle, Sandwich, Seafood, Soup and Vegetarian). Each year as Food Sport kicks off in January, thousands of cook teams try to earn their way into WFC by winning a Golden Ticket at an official qualifier. Almost 40 countries and every state in America have been represented at WFC's main event since its inception in 2012.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Michael Hand                                                                                                                                                          
Chief Marketing Officer, World Food Championships                                                                                         
Phone: 585.348.1287, Email: [email protected]

SOURCE World Food Championships