After a high-energy weekend of cooking up competition, four Gulf Coast chefs have made it back home from the World Food Championships (WFC) in Indianapolis; returning with new knowledge, fun stories …
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After a high-energy weekend of cooking up competition, four Gulf Coast chefs have made it back home from the World Food Championships (WFC) in Indianapolis; returning with new knowledge, fun stories and even golden tickets to next year's competition.
The WFC was held Oct. 16-19, and the four chefs, Maegan Bratton, Kurtis Krum, Brandy McGill and Fletch Miller, went up against some of the top chefs in the world in a variety of categories, the lineups for which were determined by a qualifying competition or previous wins at the WFC.
Miller, food and beverage manager at the Island House Hotel in Gulf Shores, competed in the noodle category after placing in the top seven last year, earning her a medal, a qualification for the second round and a ticket to this year's competition.
Miller previously competed in the recipe, seafood, chef and noodle categories. This year, her team placed third in the first round of her category with an overall score of 96.25. She placed sixth during the second round, automatically qualifying her for next year.
"I am proud to be part of the WFC family," she said. "We were very excited to make it to the final round. Very proud of team Alabama and hope everyone goes next year to represent our state."
While they did not place in the top seven and so did not advance to round two, Bratton, Krum and McGill all got the opportunity to compete in additional super qualifiers and redemption rounds.
McGill said, in the super qualifier, chefs prepared any dish of their choosing for a chance to win a golden ticket for next year. Results from that competition have not yet been turned in.
Bratton, owner and operator of Cowbell Rolled Ice Cream in Gulf Shores alongside her husband, Greg, competed in the sandwich category after winning a golden ticket from the Taste of America: Elevated with Marcel's Modern Pantry competition.
She has volunteered and worked for the WFC since 2017 before competing in the seafood category for the past two years.
In round one this year, she placed 17th with a score of 92.5. She was selected out of 16 chefs in her category to have the chance to play in the redemption round. While she didn't advance to the second round herself, she cooked on Miller's team during the second round.
"All around, we had a great time," she said. "Since I didn't win, there will be plenty of cooking contests locally and online that I can have a chance at for next year."
Krum, executive chef at Peninsula Golf and Racquet Club in Gulf Shores, competed in the chef category after qualifying at the 12th-annual Tailgate Chef's Challenge in January at The Undertow.
He previously competed in the chef category at the WFC in 2017.
This year, he placed ninth in the first round earning an overall score of 94.625, 1.5 points off from a seventh-place finish that would have advanced them to the next round. His team was invited to compete in the super qualifier.
"It was my first time back since 2017, so a lot has changed," he said on the competition. "It is a lot of fun but also a lot more work than you would expect. Hauling food and cooking equipment across the country for an hour and a half in the kitchen is a wild experience."
McGill, newly the executive chef at the White House Hotel in Biloxi, Mississippi, and previously executive chef at Wolf Bay Restaurant in Orange Beach, also competed in the sandwich category after earning a golden ticket at this year's Coastal Tailgate Cook-Off Challenge.
This was her first year competing in the WFC.
She placed 14th with a score of 92.875 for the first round of the competition. Her team was invited to compete in the super qualifier also.
"It was high energy and very competitive. I loved every minute of it, it was a ton of fun," she said. "The entire place lost power for about three minutes at the start of our first round. It was awesome to see how my fellow chefs just kept right on working. As a chef, I live by the saying, 'adapt and overcome.' Minor hiccups only effect your success if you let them."
Now that everyone has returned home and the competition has settled, the chefs are returning to work and preparing for more upcoming competitions across the region.
Krum said he was appreciative of his team, Calib Pritchard, Maegan Belmonte and Dustin Spray, and his family supporting him in the competition while Jarel McWhorter held down the fort at Peninsula.
For next competitions, he plans to defend his title at a chili cookoff later this fall then "wait until WFC qualifiers start again."
"The team is just ready to get back to work," he said, "we are getting into our busier season at the golf course, so it will be nice to get back to normal."
McGill said in her 26 years of experience in the industry, she has learned to remain a student. She said she encouraged young chefs to never give up, always make an effort to try your best and the sky is not the limit, "leave your footprints on the moon."
Her next competition will be the Gulf Coast MacDown in Mobile, taking place this Saturday, Nov. 1, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
"I'm going to spend this next year honing my skills even more, while learning what I can and continuing to grow," she said. "Honestly, I'm already mulling over what I plan to prepare at the 2026 World Food Championships."
