Unique Recipes Win at Southern Illinois Showdown

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Posted Sep 26, 2014

Unique Recipes Win at Southern Illinois Showdown

It was quite the showdown in Southern Illinois this past weekend. In conjunction with the Murphysboro Barbecue Cook-Off, the World Food Championships hosted its “Southern Illinois Showdown,” a Super Regional qualifying event. The three top entries from each category were given free entry into the ultimate food fight. And earning that ticket to Vegas is no easy task. Competitors at the Southern Illinois Showdown were given one hour, against the elements, to prepare their best dish.

Competitors came prepared to battle in two categories: bacon and seafood. Recipes ranged from maple bacon infused ice cream to pineapple bacon, but only one recipe could reign supreme. Mike Johnson of team Sugarfire Smokehouse proved to be the ultimate bacon boss with his winning recipe—Bacon Tacos with Bacon Fat Poached Lobster and Mango Salsa. Between now and November, Johnson and his team will be perfecting a recipe for the ultimate showdown—the World Bacon Championship.

Bacon might have been boss in Murphysboro, but seafood was king. The seafood chefs went coastal, creating dishes such as New Orleans Style BBQ Shrimp and Cioppino, a San Francisco Italian Seafood Soup. It was Tina Porritt’s Seafood Wonton that wowed the judges, though. Porritt’s combination of seafood, cheeses, vegetable, and spices baked in a wonton earned her a Golden Ticket to the World Seafood Championship.

Porritt and Johnson will both have a shot at the ultimate title of World Food Champion, but they will first have to face the best chefs in their respective category competitions, bacon and seafood.

Additional qualifiers for the World Food Championships included Dan Lewis and Terry Reinhardt in Seafood, and Dan Richard and Phil Wingo in Bacon. Best of luck to all winning competitors as they travel on to Vegas in November.

Competitor	Name of Recipe	Overall	Execution	Appearance	Taste
Mike Johnson	Bacon Taco with Bacon Fat Poached Lobster and Mango Salsa	97.125	39	38	39
Dan Richard	Bacon Pecan Pie and Bacon Chip Ice Cream	95.375	37	38	39
Phil Wingo	Porkmafia Pineapple Bacon	92.625	38	35	37
Kathy Pence	Commanders' Candied Bacon	91.25	37	37	36
Stephanie West	Lobster, Bacon, and Corn Chowder with Crostini and Warm Bacon Jam	90.625	35	40	36
Luke Ray	Maple Bacon Infused Ice Cream with Candy Bacon	90.5	36	34	37
Debbie Cruit	Bacon Wrapped Green Beans	88.625	35	38	35
Bradney Luckhart	Nuthatch Hill Bacon Tomato Aioli Sandwich	85.125	34	31	35
Chris Gualdoni	Italian BBC (Bacon, Beef and Cheese)	82.5	37	36	33

Competitor	Name of Recipe	Overall	Execution	Appearance	Taste
Tina Porritt	Seafood Wonton	98.375	39	38	40
Dan Lewis	Crab Delight	97.875	39	40	39
Terry Reinhardt	Risotto and Scallops	94.125	38	39	37
Debbie Cruit	Garlic-Infused Seafood Niemer	92.5	36	36	38
Sylvia Soileau	Crawfish New Orleans	92.5	37	37	37
Brandi Bradley	New Orleans Style BBQ Shrimp	92.125	38	37	36
Michael Blank	Cioppini San Francisco Style Italian Seafood soup	89.5	36	38	35
Adam Macfarlane	Mac's Southern Shrimp Sliders	89.125	34	35	37
Michael Roddey	Seafood Duet of Pan Seared Alaskan King Salmon & Shrimp Mousse Roulade	87.125	37	36	33
Eden Thorne	Amalfi Penne con Portobello	86.25	35	35	34
Linda Reiff	Murphy Meet Miami (Apples & Oranges) Shrimp Salad	86.25	35	35	34

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Unique Recipes Win at Southern Illinois Showdown

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