presents
Battle of the Burgers 2025
Who will claim the title of
"Region's Best Burger 2025"
***LIVE COOKING COMPETITION OF QUALIFYING CONTESTANTS
To be held in Q1 of 2025***
1 winner will receive the Golden Ticket to compete in the
World Food Championship Main Event 2025 in the US.
Open to cooks of all levels from any country in the
GCC, Middle East & North African markets
What is the "World Food Championship" competition?
The World Food Championships - Main Event is the largest competition in Food Sports, where culinary competitors convene for a chance to win the ultimate food crown and a share of hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money.
The World Food Championships is also the springboard for many up-and-coming culinary stars and home cooks as they seek TV fame through many well-known food shows and acting opportunities.
Visit https://worldfoodchampionships.com/ for more information.
The World Food Championships - MENA Event is the official sanctioned regional event for culinary contestants across the Middle East & North Africa.
Winners of the regional WFC competitions are granted the title of WFC MENA Category Champion and win a Golden Ticket to compete the in Main event in the United States against the best chefs from all over the world.
Who can compete?
If you are a home cook, Exec chef, sous chef, private chef, hotel culinary team, supper club host, recipe developer, existing restaurant team, or just have a passion and knack for cooking excellent dishes that are worthy of sharing with the world and competing at a regional and global stage...this is your calling.
A participating team can consist of 1 Main Cook + 2 team members.
A total of 3 per team are allowed to be cooking in the kitchen area.
Winner & Prizes:
The winner of the competition will be officially given the title:
"WFC MENA Burger Champion - 2025"
Additionally, the cook will receive the "Golden Ticket" to compete in the World Food Championships Main Event in the United States in Nov 2025.
Please note for the WFC contest: It's the winner's responsibility to arrange and secure their US visa, travel requirements, travel expenses, and cost of food for the WFC MENA event & Main competitions. If you cannot travel to the US, we reserve the right to pass down the Golden ticket to the next contestant.
The Burger Competition
Shortlisting: Up to 24 contestants will be selected to participate in the Qualifying round.
Qualifying Round will be held on TBD - Location Dubai
Final Round will be held on TBD - Location Dubai
In the Final Round, the WFC might ask you to use a specific "Infused Ingredient" or a certain "Theme" in which you will have to incorporate or adapt their dish.
Finalists could choose to create a different dish for the Final Round or stick to the same dish from the Qualifying Round.
Each cook will be responsible for securing and transporting his own flat-top grill or griddle to the venue along with all the items the grill master requires to complete his dish. The event will be held outdoors. We might be able to support with additional electric grills.
Your competing Burger MUST be an original creation, and not on an existing menu if you are a restaurant or any other type food operator.
Judging will be by some of the most highly respected and reputable Chefs in the region along with qualified E.A.T. judges.
Please read the judging methodology here: https://worldfoodchampionships.com/EAT_METHOD
Overall, E.A.T.™ category scores will be weighted as follows:
Taste – 50%, Execution – 35%, Appearance – 15%.
Contestants will have a slot of strictly 1hr and 30min to cook the dish from scratch and turn it into the judges.
WFC Main Event will follow the WFC Official Rules.
How many dishes do I have to make in each Round?
For both the Qualifying and Final Round, you will have to submit 6 small portions (could be either a slider or burger cut in half) for tasting and 1 main showpiece size for Appearance judging and photography.
GENERAL COMPETITION RULES
Burgers must be cooked onsite within 1.30 hours and turned in. The last 10 min is for turn-in.
For the purposes of the World Food Championships, a ‘burger’ entry will be defined as a patty of any ground protein between two buns. The success of the cook’s ability to create a ‘burger’ will be assessed in the judges' “Execution” score along with any additional criteria.
OPENING ROUND THEME:
The organizer might ask competitors to theme their burgers for example ‘International Flavors’ which is defined by traditional ingredients, seasonings, and cooking practices that evolved within a particular geographic area from around the world. Competitors can create a burger from their country, or anywhere around the globe.
Ingredients
a. All ingredients must be bought fresh and new (no opened pre-used items)
b. Kindly keep all receipts in hand to be presented on the day of the competition
c. All ingredients must be purchased by each contestant
d. Pre-packaged store-bought ingredient brands or commercially available pre-made items could be used, however, fresh-made and personalized ingredients would be highly preferable by the judges.
The infused ingredient round will show off a cook’s culinary creativity and ability to pair featured ingredients in a manner that both creates an impressive finished product and also appropriately highlights the featured ingredients.
Other than the ingredients that are required to be used in a specific build, WFC DOES NOT provide ingredients for competitors to create their recipes. As mentioned above, in some competitions, we might ask contestants to use a sponsored "Infused Ingredient" which will be provided by the WFC.
No pork and no alcohol are allowed.
PLATING:
Other than the official turn-in tray which will be provided by WFC Mena, competitors should provide their own plating for their main dish and samples (Sizes about the plating will be shared with contestants)
It is strongly recommended that competitors use simple and affordable plating. Also, keep in mind that WFC does not guarantee your dishes will be returned. We will try to return them after judging is done through a competitor dish holding area.
EQUIPMENT:
Each contestant can bring along his own grill equipment; electric, charcoal or gas. The organizer might be able to provide support if required.
Participation Form
Please submit your information below to be considered to participate.
Once your submission is approved a complete competitor pack will be sent to you.
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