By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

A handful of local chefs will compete at the Berlin Farmers Market this Sunday for a chance to attend 2025’s World Food Championships.

This week, on Aug. 10, Berlin chefs will compete in a Guy’s Grocery Games-style competition at the town’s farmers market. The winner will receive a “golden ticket,” otherwise known as a qualifying slip, to participate in the World Food Championships (WFC) in Indiana in October.

WFC is a global food sport competition. According to the WFC’s website, the contest is a multi-day, live culinary event that “showcases some of the world’s best cooks competing for food, fame, and fortune across twelve categories: Bacon, Barbecue, Burger, Chef, Dessert, Live Fire, Noodle, Rice, Sandwich, Seafood, Soup, and Vegetarian.”

This year’s event is set for October 16-19 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. One winner will be selected from each of the 12 categories. These competitors will then spar for the top prize of $150,000. There are over 800 official qualifying events across the globe throughout the year, and on Sunday, Berlin will get in on the action.

Set to square off at the municipality’s farmers market for WFC’s coveted golden ticket are Justine Zegna of Blacksmith Berlin, Toby Gilbert of Gilbert’s Provisions, Yancey Carapico of The Cap’ns Slice, Brandon Juarez of The Sterling Tavern and Josh Morrison of Roadie Joe’s Bar and Grill, according to a press release from the Town of Berlin.

Judging Berlin’s contest will be local professionals Paul Suplee, the executive chef at Seacrets Hideaway, Phil Cropper, culinary teacher at Worcester Technical High School, and Tami Webber, WBOC’s morning news anchor.

Berlin’s director of economic and community development, Ivy Wells, said the Maryland Restaurant Association is coordinating this week’s chef’s challenge in collaboration with Maryland’s Best and the Maryland Department of Agriculture.

The event will be run similarly to the Food Network’s Guy’s Grocery Games with a farmers market twist, Wells noted. On Sunday morning, the competing chefs will choose a protein from one of the Maryland farmers, with options including a seafood item caught by Skilligalee Seafood, a pork item from Foxhound Farm, or mushrooms from The Bay Mushrooms.

Once the participants have made their first selections, they will pick out three additional ingredients from other Maryland farms at the market to include in their dish. The chefs will then return to their stations, where they will cook the creations live, viewable by farmers market attendees. Cooking is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.

“Everyone is welcome to come down and watch the chefs prepare and cook,” Wells said.

The winner will be announced around noon.

Wells said that the Berlin Farmers Market was selected as a qualifying event for this year’s WFC after she attended the Maryland Farmers Market Conference over the winter and asked the organizers to consider the Eastern Shore municipality.

“We have 15 restaurants to choose from, some of the best food on the Eastern Shore, and the best chefs,” the community director said.

The chefs competing on Sunday were chosen by the event planners, each selected based on specific criteria.

Wells added that she is ecstatic about the qualifying event making it to Main Street, particularly at the town’s beloved farmers market.

“The competition will showcase our local chefs and our local culinary scene here in Berlin,” she said.

The winner of Sunday’s contest will get the chance to compete in the World Food Championship this fall. The competition debuted in 2012, according to its website, and has since amassed a global following.

“The WFC platform has revolutionized competitive cooking, known as ‘Food Sport,’ by offering a level playing field, a fair judging system, and innovative culinary programming,” the webpage continues. “Over the years, WFC has facilitated the creation of more than 10,000 new dishes and has partnered with countless local non-profits, charities, and food banks across the U.S.”