Indianapolis to host final event of global food sport competition

Indianapolis has been selected to host the 2020 World Food Championships Final Table event in May, organizers announced Friday.

The two-day Final Table event is the culmination of annual competition involving more than 1,500 home cooks, chefs and professional cooking teams from more than 40 states and 15 countries. The World Food Champion will be crowned at the event and take home a $100,000 prize.

“Indiana has played host to the largest sporting events in the world, and we take great pride in being the state where champions are crowned,” Indiana Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch said in written comments. “Having the Final Table during the month of May will make it even more special for the competitors and guests as they experience the city and state during the hosting of the Indianapolis Grand Prix and lead up to Indianapolis 500.”

The World Foods Championships, which is taking place in Dallas right now, will crown one champion in 10 food categories: Bacon, Barbecue, Burger, Chef, Chili, Dessert, Recipe, Sandwich, Seafood and Steak. The winner in each category will receive a $10,000 prize.

Those 10 winners will compete against each other in Indianapolis in the Final Table event for the World Food Champion title, which comes with the $100,000 prize.

The World Food Championships got its start in 2012 in Las Vegas, where it was hosted by Caesars Entertainment and produced by MMA Creative, a Tennessee marketing firm.

The Final Table competition was separated into a standalone event for the first time this year, and took place in New Orleans in May.

“Indianapolis is simply an exciting place to be in today’s culinary world and one of the premier hospitality cities in the country,” WFC CEO Mike McCloud said in written remarks. “The city and state have been on our radar over the past few years as we have continued to hear about and experience Indiana’s voice through their competitors, their product providers and the glowing reviews from national media.”

More details about the event, including specific dates and ticket information, will be released in the future.