Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Nov. 12, 2024 – Craighead County 4H members and junior chefs placed fifth out of the 24 teams chosen to compete at the second annual World Food Championships (WFC) Junior competition.
Maggie Hutton, Acea Edington and Canaan Garland headed to the Indiana Farm Bureau Fall Creek Pavilion at the Indianapolis State Fair Grounds and Event Center in Indianapolis on Friday to compete. They scored 93.25 points, while the first place team scored 97.5 points.
Although they have all cooked and competed in local cooking competitions, this was their first time competing together as a team, after Canaan had won the “Golden Ticket” to WFC at the Arkansas Pie Festival in April.
During the competition, the team chose to make their herb-crusted, balsamic-glazed pork loin with peach chutney and a caprese-inspired risotto with homemade basil pesto.
Competitors were given 90 minutes to prepare, plate, and walk their dishes down the red carpet to present them to the celebrity judges, where they were judged on 1 to 10 scale on execution, appearance and taste. Judges this year included Chef Brian Duffy, Jaymee Sire, Erica Roby aka “Blue Smoke Blaire,” and Chef Katie Dixon.
As one of the top five teams, they are automatically invited back to compete next year. The chefs said they were looking forward to competing again next year.
Hutton noted that it was a really exciting experience, from walking the red carpet to submit their dish, to getting feedback on how to improve it.
“We learned how to work under pressure and how to adjust when things don’t quite go our way,” she said.
“It was fun. I’m looking forward to competing again next year,” Garland agreed.
Edington also noted how enjoyable it was.
“I learned that even if the plan does not work out, I can change directions and it will still be okay. I can’t wait to try again next year!”
The event has attracted participants from nearly 40 countries and every state in the U.S. For more detailed event information, visit the WFC website.