Georgian Named 2018 World Burger Champion in the World’s Largest Food Sport Competition
McDonough, GA. - Nearly 1,500 cooks squared off at The Wharf in Orange Beach, Alabama for the culinary battle of their lives — and a shot at more than $350,000 in cash and prizes, the biggest payout in Food Sport history. Among the field of competitors for the 7th Annual World Food Championships (WFC), presented by Walmart, was Neil Daniell and his team from KirbyG’s™ Diner in McDonough, Georgia, who competed in the World Burger competition.
“The competition is extremely tough because everyone here is a winner. They didn’t just show up and compete. They had to win their way into the World Food Championships,” said Neil Daniell, co-owner of KirbyG’s™ Diner. The competitors cooked on-site during timed events and faced the challenge of preparation speed, specialty recipes, presentation and the ultimate taste test for E.A.T.™ certified judges.
“This was our most competitive and outstanding field of contestants ever,” commented Mike McCloud, President and CEO of WFC. “The point spreads were narrow, and the passion was intense throughout the entire tournament. We were delighted to see how each of these Champions performed as they navigated through tough conditions all week and bested an incredible field of cooks using our E.A.T. methodology, all while thousands of food fans from around the globe watched and cheered them on.”
Georgia residents have always shown great performance and culinary talent, such as three-time Cowboy Charcoal Fire & Ice Women’s Championship Barbeque Series finalist Tina Cannon and Springer Mountain Farms’ Chef Matthew Basford. This year was no exception as Neil Daniell and the team from KirbyG’s™ Diner in McDonough, GA cooked their way to the title of World Burger Champion.
Daniell said, “We are ecstatic right now. We felt like going into the final round that we could potentially make the top five if we executed perfectly, but it was going to be tough to win the top prize because we needed to make up about seven points. Our first burger, a Bacon Jam Juicy Lucy Burger, scored very well, and we managed to eke out a solid score in the second round even with our hiccup.” By hiccup, Daniell was referring to the fact that the team from KirbyG’s™ Diner made the turn in time with only seven seconds to spare on their signature burger, a Smoked Pulled Bacon Cheeseburger. “We came very close to being disqualified, and it’s amazing that we won it all with a fantastic final burger, a Chunky Guacamole Cheeseburger with Candied Bacon."
While Daniell may be shocked, it should come as no surprise that KirbyG’s™ Diner has won several awards over the years. The family diner has been voted 100 Plates Locals Love by Georgia Tourism, and twice been voted Best Burger by the AJC readers. The metro Atlanta area diner was also featured on both Atlanta Eats and the Travel Channel - Best in Food episode in 2018.
Asked what the future holds, Daniell said, “We’ll savor the win for a moment, but we have to start focusing on WFC’s Final Table.” The Final Table is a $100,000 competition against the other WFC winners who emerged victorious from the main event in their respective categories: Barbecue, Bacon, Burger, Chef, Chicken, Chili, Dessert, Sandwich, Seafood and Steak. They come from all types of culinary backgrounds - home cooks to trained chefs to professional cook teams - as well as 9 American states and one additional country, Germany. The nine champions will go head to head for the $100,000 prize in early 2019.
About World Food Championships
The 7th Annual WFC, presented by Walmart, was held Nov 7-11 at The Wharf in Orange Beach, Alabama. To learn more about the event, visit www.worldfoodchampionships.com. In the meantime, stay up to date on all WFC news and developments by following us on Twitter (@WorldFoodChamp), and Facebook and Instagram (@WorldFoodChampionships).
About KirbyG’s™ Diner
KirbyG’s™ Diner is a family owned diner located in metro Atlanta suburb of McDonough, Georgia. To learn more about KirbyG’s™ Diner, visit https://kirbygsdiner.com. You can also get the latest developments and news by following us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (@KirbyGsDiner).
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Contact Information:
Neil Daniell
KirbyG’s™ Diner
404-509-7666
thebackseat@kirbygs.com
Keela Greenlee
MMA Creative Communications
865-712-4186
keela@mmacreative.com