WFC “X”-plains New Judging Element

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Posted Jan 21, 2019

Before the competition begins each year at the World Food Championships, the first question a serious competitor has to ask is, “is my recipe worthy of $100,000?”

That’s a question that WFC officials and Ambassadors will start addressing in a whole new way in 2020 as it applies a newly modified EAT-X judging process.

So what is the X factor? Quite simply, it’s the wow factor.

“It’s a lot of things,” commented Mike McCloud, CEO and President of WFC. “It’s a way for us to acknowledge complexity, creativity, uniqueness and even risk. Every dish we see at the WFC is creative and tasty. But some dishes aren’t as complex as others. So when you see a complex dish that is executed well — especially in the timeframes we impose — that dish (and competitor) deserves to be rewarded somehow, and that’s why we’re about to start implementing the EAT-X Methodology.”

Since the new judging criteria will not be applied officially until 2020, McCloud pointed out that this year in Dallas will be the perfect place and year to explain and beta-test how an EAT-X score will be determined by showcasing its process through Ambassador demos, an official seminar and other on-site, random selections.

The E.A.T.™ portion of all scores will remain the same. Certified judges will score each dish on Execution, Appearance and Taste. But the X score, which will work somewhat like a bonus, will be determined by a special panel of WFC Ambassadors who will review each recipe before the tournament even begins.

“It’s going to be very different and very exciting,” McCloud said. “Every single dish in our opening rounds will already have an X-factor score prior to the competition beginning. And one of our big conversation points right now is whether or not we make that publicly known to the competitors before they start cooking. There’s a ton of thought going into this — from all angles — and we look forward to discussing it with competitors at this year’s championship.”

More details about the EAT-X Methodology will be revealed at an open seminar during WFC 2019 in Dallas. In the meantime, for more Food Sport updates, follow the World Food Championships on Twitter (@WorldFoodChamp), Facebook and Instagram (@WorldFoodChampionships).

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WFC “X”-plains New Judging Element

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