The chef at Birmingham’s SAW’s Soul Kitchen and a winning barbecue competitor from Muscle Shoals finished fifth and eighth, respectively, at the World Food Championships Final Table: Indy event last month.
As the World Chef Champion in the World Food Championships Main Event, Matthew Statham won a spot in the Top 10 to compete at the Final Table. The chef and general manager of SAW’s Soul Kitchen proved he belonged there when, in the opening round, he and other competitors were asked to make a Pork and Parisian Gnocchi dish using Red Gold tomatoes and pork cuts sourced from the National Pork Board.
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Working with his team, Dan Navarro Jr. and Dan Navarro III, Statham produced his “Jager Schnitzel with Parisienne Gnocchi Spaetzle, Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage,” which scored 95.25 out of 100, earning him third place and a chance to compete against the other Top 5 competitors in the second challenge.
As the World Burger Champion, Morgan Cheek of Muscle Shoals earned a spot in the Final Table’s Top 10. Working with his team, Casey and Judy Jones, the competitive barbecue cook turned in his “Reimagined Indiana Pork Sandwich” in the first round, which scored a 90.75 out of 100 forcing Cheek out of the competition with an eighth place finish. Cheek won an additional $750 on top of his $10,000 he won as the World Burger Champion.
In the Final Table’s second challenge, the remaining five competitors had to recreate a delicate duck dish designed by Chef Greg Hardesty and using Maple Leaf Farms’ product. Statham and his team cut their plating close on the time limit before presenting their dish to the panel.
The score of 80 put Statham in fifth place and knocked him out of the tournament, sending him home with an additional $1,500 in prize money, on top of his $10,000 category win at the Main Event.
Only three cooks moved on to the final round to make an Indiana Famous Sugar Cream Pie. The finish is embargoed until it is revealed on the Cooking Channel Oct. 3.
(Courtesy of Alabama NewsCenter)
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