Competitive cooking just got a bit more competitive. Television personality Adam Richman, star of Travel Channel's "Man v. Food" program, will host the first ever World Food Championships in Las Vegas. The four-day event will begin Nov. 1.
The World Food Championships is a production from Trybe Targeting, a marketing agency that represents more than 700 food competitions nationwide. In a release, Richman talked up the competition's scale, which promises to be massive:
"In a day and age when there are so many culinary competitions -- ranging from contests of taste to those of technique -- The World Food Championships will be the ultimate food competition," said Richman. "It will be the biggest stage in the cooking competition world, where every beloved food from around the globe and everyone from professionals to amateur enthusiasts can come to take their shot at the title and prove that they have what it takes to be the best."
Although the term "world" in the competition's title may suggest a global slant, its several categories are decidedly American. They include competitions in the realms of barbecue, chili, burgers, sandwiches and side dishes. There'll also be a challenge for winners of online recipe contests and a "World Chef Challenge" that's open to American chefs -- see what we mean -- from across the country.
There's more at stake than just bragging rights -- winners in the various categories can expect to take home $25,000 to $75,000 in prize money, or $250,000 across all of them. The final and culminating event, a "Final Table" faceoff, will feature a panel of celebrity judges including Richman himself. The winner will be named World Food Champion.
The release also talks up Vegas, calling it the "culinary and entertainment capital of the world." We don't know about that, but in recent years the town has welcomed a slew of celebrity chefs and restaurateurs. Plus, in the coming months it'll be the backdrop of NYC's popular Lucky Rice Asian street food festival, Bon Appetite's celebrity chef extravaganza, Vegas Uncork'd and Food & Wine's All-Star Weekend hosted by Gail Simmons.