North Carolina Chef Heads To Columbia For $100,000 Competition

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Posted Mar 31, 2022

North Carolina Chef Heads To Columbia For $100,000 Competition

It’s not Texas Hold’em, but Chef Acie Vincent left Dallas, Texas, with two “Acies” in his pocket as he was just crowned a two-time World Sandwich Champion at the largest Food Sport event –- World Food Championships (WFC).

In Food Sport, a competitor winning a category title more than once is a rare occurrence. In fact, only a few cooks in the competition’s nine-year history have been able to accomplish a repeat.

“This year’s Sandwich Category was one of the most stacked in terms of returning champions competing,” commented Mike McCloud, President and CEO of WFC. “In the field was two-time Sandwich Champion Kelli Fairchild-Cochran (2014, 2019), 2019 World Burger Champion Morgan Cheek, 2017 World Chef Champion Craig Baker and several other award-winning chefs.”

The North Carolina Chef tackled a series of challenges at WFC 2021. During these challenges, he was tasked with creating a French Dip, impressing the judges with his signature dish and incorporating the Sandwich category sponsor, Wampler’s Farm Sausage, in his third and final dish.

For the Structured Dish Challenge, sandwich competitors were tasked with creating their very own version of a “French Dip.” Competitors were encouraged to be creative and put their own spin on what a “French Dip” meant to them. The guidelines, as defined by WFC organizers, were “a hot sandwich made with your choice of protein, meat blend, meat substitute, or vegetable substitution, on a roll or choice of bread.” Vincent served up a “Korean Style French Dip” that he stated “will have your taste buds dancing as this French Dip version features Korean spice and funky fun flavors.”

WFC’s Signature Dish Challenge gives competitors the opportunity to showcase their talents. With 90 minutes on the clock, they have free rein to craft any sandwich recipe. Vincent entered his “Mushroom and Asparagus Sand-o-wich,” which is his version of a grilled cheese with portabella mushrooms, asparagus and melted gouda cheese.

Coming out of the Opening Rounds, (Structured Dish & Signature Dish), Vincent placed 9th, barely earning him a spot in the Final Round.

In the Final Round, Vincent’s goal was to best the other nine competitors who advanced to WFC’s Top Ten “Infusion” Challenge. In this third and final round, each competitor was tasked with creating any sandwich they wished to make. The challenge, however, required them to incorporate Wampler’s Farm Sausage. Vincent created a Japanese Style Shumai Sandwich, which he stated “reinvents all the flavors we all love in Japanese style Shumai and then some!”

The sandwich featured Wampler’s Farm Omega-3 Sausage with shrimp and other Asian ingredients, Japanese style aioli and was topped with roasted onion, sliced heirloom tomatoes, and a crispy chicharron with Asian umami nestled in a made-from-scratch English muffin.

For his next challenge, Vincent will go up against the other nine category champions at WFC’s Final Table event in South Carolina’s Lake Murray Country set for April 30 - May 1, featuring three rounds of challenges inspired by local cuisine experts.

To learn more about “Final Table: Columbia,” visit https://finaltable.worldfoodchampionships.com/.

Click here to book your stay with the Final Table: Columbia group rate.

Stay up-to-date on all culinary competition news, by following the World Food Championships on Twitter (@WorldFoodChamp), Facebook and Instagram (@WorldFoodChampionships).

About World Food Championships:

The World Food Championships (WFC) is the highest stakes food 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 10 categories (Bacon, Barbecue, Burger, Dessert, Rice/Noodles, Sandwich, Seafood, Soup, Steak and Vegetarian). In 2021, more than 300 culinary teams from 5 countries and 40 American states competed in WFC’s Main Event. The Champions of each category will now face their next challenge called The Final Table, which will be held at South Carolina's Lake Murray Country in late April (Click here to request an invitation to the event). While contestants have to earn their way into WFC by winning a Golden Ticket at a previous competition, potential judges are welcome to take WFC’s online certification course that explains the E.A.T. methodology. Certified judges then request and receive available seats at the next scheduled WFC event. Click here to learn more about getting certified.

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North Carolina Chef Heads To Columbia For $100,000 Competition

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