Orange Beach, AL – The week I had planned to travel to Texas to see some friends, turned into a chance to cover a world class event. Weather prevented me from heading west, so I went south, to an area I frequent on vacation every year, Orange Beach Alabama. It was here that the World Food Championships were being held, and I had to check it out.

In my previous posts, I shared the structure of the event and how the best chefs in the world descend on this event to see just who is the best.

The first thing I noticed was that these people are really good at what they do. They’re serious food competitors, many who have restaurants, or cook in some of the finest establishments in the country. They love to compete, but most of all, they love to be around fellow competitors.

Throughout the competition, where there are several different categories, I was amazed at the culinary masterpieces that were presented. As a member of the media, I had the good fortune of being able to sample the fruits of their labor, and I was treated to some of the best tasting food anywhere.

The man behind the success of the World Food Championships is Mike McCloud who as a marketing entrepreneur focuses on making food competitions a long term fun filled legacy for the culinary industry. His marketing firm, MMA Creative, is the Agency of Record of KCBS, the world’s largest barbeque enthusiast organization.

In 2012 he was “all in” and partnered with Las Vegas venues and culinary celebrities to produce this championship. Since then, it’s grown 30-35% each year.

I will never be able to get rid of the smells that come from the cooking stations during competition. I will never be able to forget the taste of a perfectly grilled ribeye steak, or filet mignon or bacon stuffed muffins with a hollandaise sauce produced by the chefs in this competition.

I enjoyed a sandwich stuffed with perfectly grilled and marinated quail with cheese, served on delicious bread, pressed into the sandwich.

I enjoyed learning more about this Food Sport, and the competition that’s so popular, but I really enjoyed the people I met.

They all had a story, and they all were passionate about food, but they all just wanted food to make people happy.

Oh, and the $100,000 winner’s check.

About the World Food Championships

The World Food Championships is the largest competition in food sport, where champions of previous events convene for a chance at winning the ultimate food crown and a share of $300,000. The World Food Championships platform ranges from live-event integration and acivations to a robust multimedia platform that serves culinary stars, home cooks, brands and destinations.

In four short years, WFC has awarded more than $1 million in prizes and money, spawned a TV series, garnered more than 5 billion media impressions and launched numerous professional careers for successful contestants.

For more information, visit www.worldfoodchampionships.com