COMPETITION OVERVIEW
NOVEMBER 7-11, 2018
ORANGE BEACH, ALABAMA
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 40 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.The following competitions are State Qualifiers for the 2018 World Seafood Championship:
Alabama State Qualifier / Alabama Coasting Multi-Media – 2018 - Various Locations in Alabama
California State Qualifier / Cali Cooking Competition – 10/13/18-10/14/18 - Hollywood, California
Missouri State Qualifier / The Show Me Series (ACWW) – 6/21/18 – Kansas City, Missouri
Tennessee State Qualifier / Public Markets – 2018 – Chattanooga, Tennessee
Texas State Qualifier / Super Chef Series – 10/3/18 – Port Aransas, Texas
The following competitions are State Partner Authorized Qualifiers for the 2018 World Seafood Championship:
Alabama State Qualifier / 9th Annual Dauphin Island Gumbo Cook-off - 4/21/18 - Dauphin Island, Alabama
Alabama State Qualifier / Fairhope Kiwanis Best of the Bay Gumbo Championship - 10/20/18 - Fairhope, Alabama
Tennessee State Qualifier / National Cornbread Festival - 4/28/18 - South Pittsburg, Tennessee
The following competitions are Preferred Qualifiers for the 2018 World Seafood Championship:
Alabama Seafood Cook-Off - 6/13/18 - Bayou La Batre, Alabama
The Wharf Uncorked Food & Wine Festival - 9/13/18 - Orange Beach, Alabama
The following competitions are Elite Qualifiers for the 2018 World Seafood Championship:
Walmart Online Recipe Contest "Food Champ Fresh"/Wild Card Elite Division – 7/20/18-7/30/18 – ONLINE
Wild Card Elite Division - 2/1/18-10/1/18 - ONLINE
The following competitions are International Qualifiers for the 2019 World Seafood Championship:
Caribbean Food Championships - 8/18/18-8/19/18 - San Juan, Puerto Rico
The following competitions are automatic qualifiers for the 2018 World Seafood Championship:
United States Events
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Special Invitation - Shaun Zinckgraf | US | |
| 2018 WFC Wait List - Seafood | US | |
| Walmart Online Recipe Contest "Food Champ Fresh" | Various Locations, US | Jul 20, 2018 |
| Hog Eye BBQ | US | Sep 13, 2018 |
| WFC: 2017 WFC Top Ten Seafood | Orange Beach, AL, US | Nov 12, 2017 |
| WFC: 2016 World Food Champion - Kari Luke | Orange Beach, AL, US | |
| WFC: 2016 World Seafood Champion - James Aptakin | Orange Beach, AL, US | |
| ALABAMA SEAFOOD COOK-OFF | Bayou La Batre, AL, US | Jun 13, 2018 |
| THE WHARF UNCORKED | Orange Beach, AL, US | Sep 13, 2018 |
| Alabama State Qualifier / WFC Team Alabama | Various Locations, AL, US | |
| Wings & Wine (Comedienne Joy's Special Event) | Birmingham, AL, US | Mar 15, 2018 |
| Downtown Cajun Cookoff | Mobile, AL, US | Mar 24, 2018 |
| Battle at the Beach | Orange Beach, AL, US | Sep 21, 2017 |
| Blue Marlin Master Chef Challenge | Orange Beach, AL, US | Jul 10, 2018 |
| 2017 World Seafood Champion - Kim Banick | Orange Beach, AL, US | Nov 12, 2017 |
| Alabama State Qualifier / 9th Annual Dauphin Island Gumbo Cook-off | Dauphin Island, AL, US | Apr 21, 2018 |
| WSC2016 - Haikel Harris | Orange Beach, AL, US | |
| WFC: 2017 World Food Champion - Lisa Gwatney | Orange Beach, AL, US | |
| Alabama State Qualifier / WOK-Off | Dothan, AL, US | Sep 6, 2018 |
| Alabama State Qualifier / Fairhope Kiwanis Best of the Bay Gumbo Championship | Fairhope, AL, US | Oct 20, 2018 |
| Scottsdale Culinary Festival - Teen Challenge - Michael Mengelkamp | Scottsdale, AZ, US | |
| Mendocino Crab Cake Cookoff - People's Choice | Fort Bragg, CA, US | Jan 27, 2018 |
| California State Qualifier / Cali Cooking Competition - Jim Modesitt | Hollywood, CA, US | |
| California State Qualifier / Cali Cooking Competition - James Aptakin | Hollywood, CA, US | |
| California State Qualifier / Cali Cooking Competition | Hollywood, CA, US | |
| California State Qualifier / Cali Cooking Competition - Lisa Pucci-Delgado | Hollywood, CA, US | |
| Coast Day Crab Cake Cook-Off - Finals | Lewes, DE, US | Oct 1, 2017 |
| WFC: 2015 World Seafood Champion - Cindy Taffel | Kissimmee, FL, US | |
| Best of the Best on the Emerald Coast | Destin, FL, US | Oct 21, 2017 |
| Georgia State Qualifier / Atlanta Food Wars | Various Locations, GA, US | |
| Special Invitation - Jordan Wakefield | Atlanta, GA, US | |
| CHEF JJ'S EGGFEST | Indianapolis, IN, US | May 19, 2018 |
| Crawfish Cook-off - Slidell, LA | Slidell, LA, US | Apr 21, 2018 |
| Hospice Foundation of the South Crawfish Cook-off | Slidell, LA, US | Apr 21, 2018 |
| Northshore Gumbo Cook-Off | Slidell, LA, US | Nov 10, 2018 |
| Ponchatoula Jambalaya Cookoff | Ponchatoula, LA, US | Mar 3, 2018 |
| Crawfish and Roses | Covington, LA, US | May 5, 2018 |
| Maryland Seafood Festival - Crab Soup Cook-off | Annapolis, MD, US | Sep 9, 2018 |
| National Hard Crab Derby Crab Cooking Contest | Crisfield, MD, US | Aug 31, 2018 |
| Taste of Cambridge Crab Cook Off | Cambridge, MD, US | Jul 14, 2018 |
| White Marlin Festival & Crab Soup Cook Off | Ocean City, MD, US | May 12, 2018 |
| Bethel HarvestFest Chowdah Cookoff | Bethel, ME, US | Sep 15, 2018 |
| Maine Lobster Festival Seafood Cooking Contest | Rockland, ME, US | Aug 3, 2018 |
| Seafood Excellence Awards | Portland, ME, US | Mar 11, 2018 |
| Annual Gumbo Cookoff - Kalamazoo, MI | Kalamazoo, MI, US | Feb 25, 2018 |
| Missouri State Qualifier / The Show Me Series in Kansas City | Kansas City, MO, US | Jun 21, 2018 |
| Crawfish Cook-off - Biloxi, MS | Biloxi, MS, US | Apr 21, 2018 |
| North Carolina Seafood Festival - Cooking Challenge In The Cooking With The Chefs Tent | Morehead City, NC, US | Oct 6, 2017 |
| Annual Chowder Cook-off Classic | Long Beach Island, NJ, US | Sep 30, 2018 |
| Barilla Pasta Showdown at Pizza&Pasta Northeast - 2017 | Atlantic City, NJ, US | Oct 17, 2017 |
| WFC: 2014 World Seafood Champion - Terry Reinhardt | Las Vegas, NV, US | |
| Yelp's Chowderfest | Bay Shore, NY, US | Dec 3, 2017 |
| WFC: WILD CARD ELITE DIVISION | ONLINE, US | Feb 1, 2018 |
| WFC: #Taste of Canada - 1st Place | ONLINE, US | Jun 1, 2018 |
| #TOA2017 - Lisha Griffitt | ONLINE, US | |
| WFC: Food Champ Online Recipe Contests - 2nd-5th Place | ONLINE, US | |
| WFC: #Taste of America - Seafood - 1st Place | ONLINE, US | Jun 1, 2018 |
| Food Champ Online Recipe Contests - 1st Place | ONLINE, US | |
| Alabama Seafood Showdown - GSOBT Online Recipe Contest - 2nd & 3rd Place | ONLINE, US | Jun 1, 2018 |
| WILD CARD ELITE DIVISION - WALMART | ONLINE, US | |
| Grillfest Northwest (Seafood category) | Seattle, OR, US | Jun 30, 2018 |
| Ocean State BBQ Championship (Seafood competition) | West Kingston, RI, US | Oct 21, 2017 |
| Great Chowder Cookoff / The Polar Seltzer Great Chowder Cookoff | Newport, RI, US | Jun 2, 2018 |
| South Carolina Seafood Challenge - at the HMRSS | Myrtle Beach, SC, US | Jan 30, 2018 |
| Shrimp on the Barbie Shrimp Throwdown | Charleston, SC, US | Oct 1, 2017 |
| Nashville Scene Iron Fork | Nashville, TN, US | Mar 22, 2018 |
| Art Institute's Sweet and Savory Recipe Challenge | Nashville, TN, US | Feb 19, 2018 |
| Tennessee State Qualifier / National Cornbread Festival Championship Cookoff | South Pittsburg, TN, US | Apr 28, 2018 |
| Texas State Qualifier / Super Chef Series | Port Aransas, TX, US | Oct 3, 2018 |
| Big Ass Crawfish Bash | Lamarque, TX, US | Mar 24, 2018 |
| Dungeness Crab & Seafood Festival Captain Joseph Chowder Cookoff | Port Angeles, WA, US | Oct 8, 2017 |
| Monterey Wine and West Coast Chowder Competition | Vancouver, WA, US | Jun 9, 2018 |
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| AUSTRALIAN FOOD CHAMPIONSHIPS | TBA, AU | |
| CARIBBEAN FOOD CHAMPIONSHIPS | San Juan, PR, PR |