WFC ANNOUNCES 2016 QUALIFYING EVENTS

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Posted Jan 6, 2016

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Jan. 6, 2016) – The World Food Championships announced today its preliminary list of 2016 Automatic and Elite Qualifier events, which will help determine the field for the 5th annual WFC, the largest Food Sport event in the world.

Elite cooking teams, pro chefs and seasoned home cooks from across the globe will compete in nine iconic categories – Bacon, Barbecue, Burger, Chili, Dessert, Recipe, Seafood, Sandwich, Steak – to determine World Champions in each. Those nine winners will face off against each other in WFC’s ultimate food fight, The Final Table, to determine the overall 2016 World Food Champion.

Since every competitor has to win his or her way into the event, WFC has created multiple ways to capture a coveted WFC Golden Ticket, primarily through the Automatic Qualifier (AQ) events, listed in the .pdf file linked below.

Additionally, WFC partners with a number of events to present Elite Qualifiers (EQ), and those events provide additional assistance to their champions by covering registration fees and/or providing travel assistance.

The AQ and EQ list of events may grow as the year progresses, depending on the development of new and exciting events not yet in our database. WFC will also issue separate announcements as its growing list of International or Super Qualifier events as they come on board.

As a reminder to all contestants, competitors who finished in the Top 10 of their categories in 2015 do not have to qualify again in 2016 for that category. Since the Pasta category will not be returning to the 2016 line-up, those Top 10 finalists will have the ability to choose another category to compete in.

Official registration for all Top 10 finishers and any 2016 qualified winners will begin Monday, Feb. 1, at 1 pm EST.

The dates for the 2016 World Food Championships will be announced Friday, January 8.

For a full list of the 2016 Automatic Qualifiers, check out this .pdf file .

To review the current list of 2016 WFC Elite Qualifier Events, see below.

Bacon and Beer Classic Chicago, Illinois (October 10, 2015)
The Bacon and Beer Classic is a one-day bacon and craft beer-centric festival featuring Chicago's best chefs and breweries. For the first time ever, Soldier Field allowed outside food vendors to curate their bacon-inspired dish inside the stadium on October 10. This year one lucky competitor earned a Golden Ticket to compete in the 2016 WFC.

Bacon and Beer Classic San Jose, California (November 14, 2015)
The Bacon and Beer Classic is a one-day bacon and craft beer-centric festival featuring San Jose's best chefs and breweries. Restaurants curated their bacon-inspired dish inside and on the field at Municipal Stadium. Attendees received bacon samples from 30+ local restaurants, selection of 100+ local and regional craft beers to sample from, music, interactive games, pretzel necklaces, temporary tattoos, and a souvenir tasting cup. This year one lucky competitor earned a Golden Ticket to compete in the 2016 WFC.

Game Day Chef Challenge Pasadena, CA (August 1, 2015-January 1, 2016)
Back for its second year, the Game Day Chef Challenge provided amateur and professional chefs the opportunity to compete to win $25,000 in Chevron Gift Cards at the Grand Finale in Pasadena, CA on January 1, 2016. ALL Regional Winners who competed at the Grand Finale received an invitation to compete in the 2016 WFC.

Michigan Apple Recipe Contest Lansing, Michigan (January 27, 2016)
For a decade, the Michigan Apple Committee has sponsored the Michigan Apple Recipe Contest in Frankenmuth, Michigan. Amateur cooks from all over the state have participated in the event. The competition celebrates the versatility of Michigan Apples as an ingredient.

'Que at the View BBQ Fest Gulfport, Mississippi (April 8-9, 2016)
Island View Casino Resort offers a smokin’ good time each spring with ’Que at the View, an outdoor festival of food, drinks and live entertainment in conjunction with a KCBS-sanctioned competition. 'Que at the View is held on the grounds of Island View Casino, located on the Gulf of Mexico in Gulfport, Miss. www.IslandViewCasino.com

Canadian Food Championships Edmonton, Alberta, Canada - (July 21-24, 2016)
Events Edmonton has partnered with the World Food Championships to host one exclusive qualifying event in 2016 for Canada. The Canadian Food Championships is a year long search for Canada’s best cooks. The search will reach new levels during the multi-day competition to determine who will be part of Team Canada at the WFC.

River Falls Bacon Bash River Falls, Wisconsin (September 17-18, 2016)
Here’s the thing: it’s not just about Bacon! The River Falls Bacon Bash is the largest free bacon festival in the U.S., with more than 16,000 attendees in 2015. Our first confirmed Super Qualifier for 2016, the River Falls Bacon Bash will feature WFC Golden Ticket chances in Chili, Dessert, Sandwich, Steak and of course, Bacon!

Culinary Fight Club Chicago, Illinois (Monthly)
Think Top Chef meets Fight Club meets pop-up restaurant. If you can cook, then you can cook anywhere, with limited ingredients and on a time-crunch! Home chefs, students, moms, caterers, whoever you are, if you like to cook (and you think you're good at it), then step out of your kitchen and into the ring.

Food Champ Online Recipe Contest Online Contest (Monthly)
Each month the World Food Championships will feature a different online recipe contest. The winner of these contests will qualify for a sponsored trip to compete in the World Food Championships!

Bull Burger Battles Various Locations (Dates TBD)
Bull Outdoor Products is on a nationwide search to find the country’s best burger. Five Bull Burger Battles will take place across the nation leading up to the 2016 World Food Championships. The winners of the Bull Burger Battles receive a coveted Golden Ticket to compete as a member of Team Bull at the WFC's World Burger Championship!

For a full list of the 2016 Automatic Qualifiers, check out this .pdf file.

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WFC ANNOUNCES 2016 QUALIFYING EVENTS

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