COMPETITION OVERVIEW
NOVEMBER 3-10, 2015
KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA
There's nothing fishy about someone who knows how to delicately plate seared scallops or whip up a batch of perfectly seasoned lobster bisque; it's pure talent.
The World Seafood Championship will pit 50 of the world’s best seafood bosses against each other for the title of World Seafood Champion. Home cooks, restaurateurs and chefs will all compete to see whose cuisine reigns supreme. The champion will then take their best shot to the Final Table for a chance to win the World Food Championship.
WORLD SEAFOOD CHAMPIONSHIP
$10,000 GRAND PRIZE
2015 WFC COMPETITOR PACKET (KITCHEN CATEGORIES)
COMPETITION STRUCTURE
The World Food Championships will feature three rounds of competition.
Signature Dish: competitors will create their best recipe for judging within each category.
Structured Build: this round separates the contenders from the pretenders by forcing everyone to create their own spin on the same basic dish.
Infused Ingredient: the top competitors in each category will face off for culinary supremacy using the same ingredient in their final category dish.
COMPETITION SCHEDULE & RULES
The World Seafood Championship will be limited to the first 50 entrants who are fully qualified, registered and confirmed. Any qualified entrant who wants to compete after the field is full must seek a special exemption from the WFC competition committee.
The following competitions are preferred qualifying events for the 2015 World Seafood Championsip:
The Annual National Shrimp Festival Restaurant Challenge
Cookmore World Food Seafood Challenge
The following competitions are automatic qualifying events for the 2015 World Seafood Championship:
| Annual National Shrimp Festival Restaurant Challenge |
| Cajun Celebrations Contest |
| Chuckanut Chowder Cookoff |
| Louisiana Seafood Cook-off (New Orleans Wine & Food Experience) |
| Outerbanks Shrimp Cookoff |
| Seafood Excellence Awards |
| 12th Annual Crawfish Cookoff |
| 36th National Oyster Cookoff / St. Mary’s 49th Annual National Oyster Festival |
| 10th Annual Gumbo Cookoff |
| Best of Big D – Best Seafood Restaurant |
| Best of Big D – Best Seafood Restaurant – Reader’s Choice |
| Best of Mississippi Seafood – Capitol / River Region |
| Best of Mississippi Seafood – Coastal Region |
| Best of Mississippi Seafood – Delta Region |
| Best of Mississippi Seafood – Hills Region / Eat Jackson Best of Mississippi Seafood Competition |
| Captain Joseph Chowder Cookoff |
| 6th Annual Fish Taco Cookoff – People’s Choice – Best Fish Taco |
| 10th Annual Chowder Cook-off 2015 – People’s Choice – Best Chowder |
| Best of Mississippi Seafood – Pines Region |
| Best of Phoenix Portland – Best Seafood Restaurant |
| Cast Iron Cookoff – Grand Champion |
| CFE Salt Fish Recipe Contest |
| Chicago Reader – Best Seafood |
| Cincinnati City Beat – Best Seafood Winner |
| City Weekly’s Best of Utah – Best Seafood |
| Columbus Alive – Best of Columbus – Best Seafood Winner |
| FW Weekly – Best Seafood (Reader’s and Critic’s Choice) |
| Gambit – Best of New Orleans – Best Seafood Restaurant |
| Gambit – Best of New Orleans – Best Seafood Restaurant, Best Seafood Po-boy |
| Great Alaska Fish Taco |
| Great American Seafood Cookoff |
| 2015 Jersey Seafood Challenge |
| 2015 South Carolina Seafood Challenge – First Place |
| Great Chowder Cookoff / The 33rd Polar Seltzer Great Chowder Cookoff |
| Jambalaya Cook-off 2015 |
| Kansas City Pitch – Best Seafood (Reader’s Choice) |
| King and Prince Seafood Spicy Krabbycakes Recipe |
| OC County Register Best of – Best Seafood Restaurant – 1st Place |
| 2015 South Carolina Seafood Challenge – Second Place |
| Best of Las Vegas 2015 |
| LVRJ Best of Las Vegas – Best Seafood |
| Pacific Northwest Inlander – Best Seafood |
| Folio Weekly (Jacksonville) – Best Seafood |
| Leo Weekly – Best Seafood Restaurant |
| Louisville A List – Best Seafood |
| Madison Magazine – Best of Madison / Best Seafood |
| Metro Times (Real Detroit Weekly) – Best Seafood Restaurant – Macomb County |
| Metro Times (Real Detroit Weekly) – Best Seafood Restaurant – Oakland County |
| Metro Times (Real Detroit Weekly) – Best Seafood Restaurant – Wayne County |
| New Orleans Gambit – Best Seafood |
| New York Magazine – Best Fish Pie Winner |
| New York Magazine – Best Whole Fish Winner |
| OC Weekly – Best Seafood Restaurant |
| Orlando Weekly – Best Seafood |
| Palm Beaches Crab Cake Cookoff |
| Philly Mag – Best Seafood |
| San Diego’s Utribune – Best Seafood |
| Seattle Magazine – Best Seafood Winner |
| Best of Phoenix Providence – Best Seafood Restaurant |
| Cash Cookoff Galveston Island Shrimp Festival – Amateur Shrimp Gumbo and Showmanship |
| Cash Cookoff Galveston Island Shrimp Festival – Professional Shrimp Gumbo |
| Cash Cookoff Galveston Island Shrimp Festival – Winner Open Shrimp |
| Cash Cookoff Galveston Island Shrimp Festival – Winner Shrimp Bisque |
| Cash Cookoff Galveston Island Shrimp Festival – Winner Shrimp Burger |
| Houston Press – Best Seafood, Best Cheap Seafood Restaurant |
| Minneapolis CityPages – Best Seafood |
| Oklahoma Gazette – Best Seafood Restaurant |
| OnMilwaukee’s Best – Best Seafood |
| Paella Challenge |
| Port Isabel World’s Championship Shrimp Cookoff – Professional Division |
| San Antonio Current – Best Seafood Restaurant |
| Sauce Magazine – Favorite Seafood (Reader’s Choice) |
| Budweiser – Taste of St. Louis – Chef Battle Royale: Seafood |
| SF Weekly – Best New Seafood Dish – “Crispy Octopus” |
| SF Weekly – Best Seafood |
| Texas Crab Festival Cookoff – Crab Dish Contest – People’s Choice |
| The Oyster Cook-off & Craft Beer Weekend at the Hangout |
| The Shore Chef Crab Cake Cook-off |
| The Young Seafood Chef of the Year Competition (U.K.) |
| Toledo City Paper – Best Seafood Restaurant |
| Washington City Paper – Best Seafood |
| Pittsburgh City Paper – Best Seafood |
| Alaska State Fair Seafood Throwdown |
| AquaCurean |
| Beringer Steak and Seafood Challenge |
| Best of Big D – Best Fish Market |
| Best of Tampa Bay |
| Cambridge Crab Cookoff |
| FCEC Sustainable |
| Food52 Your Best Anchovie |
| Great Alaska Seafood Cookoff |
| Gumbopalooza 2014 Winner |
| Hampton Roads – Best Seafood |
| Hilton Head Island Seafood Fest |
| LRA ProStart Student Competition – Seafood Competition |
| Maine Lobster Festival |
| Maryland Seafood Festival |
| Memphis Flyer – Best Seafood |
| Mendocino Crab Cake Cookoff – Professional |
| Mendocino Crab Cake Cookoff – People’s Choice |
| Morey’s Seafood International Recipe Contest |
| OC Weekly – Best Seafood Market |
| Port Isabel World’s Championship Shrimp Cookoff – Amateur Division |
| Santa Cruz Clam Chowder Cook Off – Individual Manhattan Winner |
| Santa Cruz Clam Chowder Cook Off – Professional Manhattan Winner |
| SF Weekly – Best Classic Seafood Dish |
| Shrimp & Grits Festival – Amateur |
| Shrimp & Grits Festival – Professional |
| Ultimate Chowdah Fan Recipe Contest / Great Chowder Cook-off presents Ultimate Chowdah Fan Recipe Contest – Clam Category First Place |
| Ultimate Chowdah Fan Recipe Contest / Great Chowder Cook-off presents Ultimate Chowdah Fan Recipe Contest – Seafood Category Second Place |
| Ultimate Chowdah Fan Recipe Contest / Great Chowder Cook-off presents Ultimate Chowdah Fan Recipe Contest – Creative Category First Place |
| West Coast Chowder Competition |
| Western Seafood Competition |
| White Marlin Festival & Crab Soup Cook Off |
| Phoenix New Times – Best Seafood |
| Steak Cookoff Association |
If a contest or competition winner is unable to accept the invitation and participate in the World Food Championships, invitations will be extended to an alternate winner at the same event or the winner of an additional event.
Rules, processes and tournament structure for the WFC are subject to change, but all decisions made by the WFC competition committee are final.
If you would like to receive updates about additional World Food Championships information, please subscribe to our contact list by filling out the fcontact form.
The following competitions are automatic qualifiers for the 2015 World Seafood Championship:
United States Events
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Hampton Roads - Best Seafood | US | May 20, 2015 |
| Food Champ Online Recipe Contest | Online Contest, US | |
| Food Champ Online Recipe Contest | US | |
| Food Champ Seafood - WFC | US | May 1, 2015 |
| KINGS DOMINION BBQ & BREW FEST | US | Aug 1, 2015 |
| Iron Fork | US | Aug 31, 2015 |
| CFC Burger/seafood | US | Aug 31, 2015 |
| Iron Fork | US | Aug 31, 2015 |
| PMC online competition | US | Sep 4, 2015 |
| PMC online competition | US | Sep 4, 2015 |
| Intrenational teams | US | |
| Chefs Roll Runner ups | US | Sep 22, 2015 |
| Kenmore Cookmore | US | Sep 23, 2015 |
| Online JAP | US | Sep 19, 2015 |
| James Beard | US | |
| Badass bbq competition Seafood | US | Aug 10, 2015 |
| Annual National Shrimp Festival Restaurant Challenge | Gulf Shores, AL, US | Aug 26, 2015 |
| Phoenix New Times | Phoenix, Arizona , US | Sep 27, 2015 |
| Spice Competition | Scottsdale, AZ, US | Sep 20, 2015 |
| SF Weekly - Best Classic Seafood Dish | San Francisco, CA, US | May 1, 2015 |
| SF Weekly – Best New Seafood Dish – “Crispy Octopus” | San Francisco, CA, US | May 1, 2015 |
| SF Weekly - Best Seafood | San Francisco, CA, US | May 1, 2015 |
| West Coast Chowder Competition | Monterey, CA, US | Jun 6, 2015 |
| Cookmore Seafood Contests | Chatsworth, CA, US | |
| San Diego's UTribune - Best Deli | San Diego, California, US | Sep 27, 2015 |
| Orlando Weekly - Best Seafood | Orlando, FL, US | Jun 1, 2015 |
| ACF Federation | Orlando, FL, US | Jul 31, 2015 |
| FBA End of summer cook out | FL, US | Sep 23, 2015 |
| The Tavern Team - Celebration | Celebration, FL, US | Nov 3, 2015 |
| Chicago Reader - Best Seafood | Chicago, IL, US | May 16, 2015 |
| Culinary FIght Club | Chicago, IL, US | Aug 1, 2015 |
| Culinary Fight Night Seafood | Chicago, IL, US | Aug 19, 2015 |
| Louisville A-List - Best Seafood | Louisville, KY, US | Jun 30, 2015 |
| 12th Annual Crawfish Cookoff | Slidell, LA, US | Apr 18, 2015 |
| Louisiana Seafood Cook-off (New Orleans Wine & Food Experience) | Baton Rouge, LA, US | May 1, 2015 |
| New Orleans Gambit - Best Seafood Po-boy | New Orleans, LA, US | Jul 1, 2015 |
| New Orleans Gambit - Best Seafood Restaurant | New Orleans, LA, US | Jul 1, 2015 |
| New Orleans Gambit - Best Seafood | New Orleans, LA, US | Jul 1, 2015 |
| Great American Seafood Cook-off - New Orleans | Baton Rouge, Louisiana, US | Aug 2, 2015 |
| White Marlin Festival & Crab Soup Cook Off | Ocean City, MD, US | May 2, 2015 |
| Cambridge Crab Cookoff | Cambridge, MD, US | Jul 11, 2015 |
| Maine Lobster Festival | Rockland, ME, US | Jul 29, 2015 |
| Budweiser Taste of St. Louis – Chef Battle Royale: Seafood | St. Louis, Missouri, US | Sep 18, 2015 |
| Sauce Magazine - Favorite Seafood (Reader's Choice) | St. Louis, MO, US | Jun 30, 2015 |
| The Shore Chef Crab Cake Cook-off | Red Bank, New Jersey, US | Aug 15, 2015 |
| Past 5 year Champs | Las Vegas, NV, US | |
| le cordon bleu Las Vegas Competition | Las Vegas, NV, US | Jul 20, 2015 |
| Oklahoma Gazette - Best Seafood Restaurant | Oklahoma City, OK, US | Jul 1, 2015 |
| 7th Annual Fish Taco Cookoff – People’s Choice – Best Fish Taco | Lincoln City, OR, US | May 2, 2015 |
| Philly Mag - Best Seafood | Philadelphia, PA, US | Jul 1, 2015 |
| Great Chowder Cookoff / The 33rd Polar Seltzer Great Chowder Cookoff | Newport, RI, US | Jun 6, 2015 |
| The Steak Cookoff Association | Bedford, Texas, US | Aug 22, 2015 |
| Chattanooga Iron Chef | Chattanooga, TN, US | Sep 19, 2015 |
| Best of Big D - Best Seafood Restaurant | Dallas, TX, US | Jul 1, 2015 |
| Best of Big D - Best Seafood Restaurant (Reader's Choice) | Dallas, TX, US | Jul 1, 2015 |
| Cajun Celebrations Contest | Sheboygan, Wisconsin , US | Oct 1, 2015 |
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Canadian Food Championships | Edmonton, Canada , CA | Jul 22, 2015 |
| The Young Seafood Chef of the Year Competition (U.K.) | Essex, UK, GB | Jun 12, 2015 |