Indianapolis restaurant wins chance to compete at World Food Championships

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Posted Jul 19, 2013

Craig Baker, chef and co-owner of the Local Eatery and Pub, was the top professional restaurant finisher at the Bull Burger Battle in Indianapolis. Baker has secured a coveted qualifying position to compete amongst the best cooks and chefs in the world at the second annual World Food Championships. The World Food Championships, boasting a $300,000 prize purse, will be held Nov. 7-10 in Las Vegas.

The Bull Burger Battle – Indianapolis, which took place at Family Leisure, is the fourth of five burger cook-offs to qualify the best burger cooks in five local markets to compete in the ultimate competition for food supremacy. By placing as the top professional restaurant finisher at the Bull Burger Battle, Local Eatery and Pub took home a free trip to Las Vegas to compete in the World Burger Championship at the World Food Championships in November. Mark Medlin, an IT security consultant in Nashville, Tenn. was the overall winner for the Bull Burger Battle – Indianapolis.

The World Burger Championship will feature 50 of the world’s best burger cooks, chefs and restaurants all competing for their share of the competition’s total prize purse of $25,000. The winner of the World Burger Championship will take home a check for $10,000 and compete against six other category champions at the World Food Championships’ Final Table for a shot at an additional $50,000.

“The opportunity to compete in an event as large as the World Food Championships is a huge accomplishment,” said Mike McCloud, President and CEO of Trybe Targeting, the company producing the World Food Championships. “The Local Eatery and Pub will now get a chance to represent Bull Outdoor Products and all of Indianapolis against more than 400 world-class cooks and chefs. This is truly a great honor!”

Craig Baker represented the Local Eatery and Pub in the Bull Burger Battle. Baker has been a resident of Indianapolis for six years and is an established chef of 17 years. His winning burger is called the “Bone Marrow and Blue Cheese Stuffed Burger”.

For Baker, creating a winning burger was not about building a lengthy list of ingredients. Rather, he carefully selected his ingredients to masterfully bring out their individually vibrant flavors. The highlights of the Bone Marrow and Blue Cheese Stuffed Burger include a portion of bone marrow, a blue cheese butter and red onion caramelized in a soy, balsamic, honey and thyme mixture. The burger is then topped with the classics: lettuce, tomato and onion.

“I am so excited about competing in Vegas!” said Baker. “I want to represent the Local and all the hard work my staff and I have done over the last two and half years.”

But Baker’s not in this simply for personal notoriety. He’s interested in bringing the love back to Indianapolis.

“I want to represent the folks at Family Leisure and Indianapolis on a national scene. There are a lot of talented chefs here and it would be nice to increase our exposure.”

The Bone Marrow and Blue Cheese Stuffed Burger is expected to hit the Local’s menu this coming Friday.

“I’m still in shock by this win,” said Mark Medlin, champion of the Bull Burger Battle. “I translated my passion in to pleasing the public, and walked away with a great reward. See you at the winner’s table in Vegas!”

Medlin and Baker will both compete as part of Team Bull in the World Burger Championship.

In 2013, the World Food Championships will be a tournament-style competition inclusive of several rounds leading to the all-defining moment at the Final Table where the champions from the seven competing categories will vie for the ultimate World Food Champ title in front of a panel of food celebrity judges. This year’s categories are: Barbecue, Chili, Burger, Sandwich, Dessert, Bacon and Recipe.

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Indianapolis restaurant wins chance to compete at World Food Championships

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