World Food Championships
The Restaurant Association of Maryland is a state partner for World Food Championships.
World Food Championships is the largest competition in food sport, where grand champions of previous events convene for a chance at winning the ultimate food crown and a share of hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money. This event 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.
RAM hosts several qualifying competitions each year. In order to be invited to compete in the World Food Championships you must earn a "Golden Ticket" by winning a qualifying event. Competitions are open to anyone, including "home cooks" who may not be professionals in the food service industry. If you can cook, you can compete!
UPCOMING: Governor's Buy Local Cookout
Event Date: July 16, 2026
Time: 5PM - 7PM
Location: Maryland Department of Agriculture
The Restaurant Association of Maryland and the Maryland Department of Agriculture are excited to announce the 2025 Governor’s Buy Local Cookout. This annual cookout celebrates Maryland agriculture by featuring Maryland restaurants partnering with Maryland farmers and watermen showcasing products like wild-caught Chesapeake blue catfish, oysters, pork, beef, sweet corn, watermelon, and more!
Chefs from across the state are encouraged to submit recipes using Maryland food items and work with at least one Maryland farm or watermen (but more is encouraged!). The winner of the main dish category will win a Golden Ticket to compete at the World Food Championships.
For more information, visit the Department of Agriculture, Maryland's Best.
This is a private event. We are no longer accepting applications.
UPCOMING: Online Sandwich Competition
Event Date: Thursday, July 17 - Sunday, July 27
Location: Online
The Restaurant Association of Maryland, in partnership with the Maryland Department of Agriculture, is thrilled to announce the 2025 Online Recipe Competition!
Submit your best original sandwich recipe for a chance to win a Golden Ticket to compete in the Sandwich Category at the World Food Championships!
Deadline to enter: Sunday, July 27 at 11:59 PM
The winning recipe will be selected and announced on Wednesday, July 30, 2025. The selected Chef will receive a phone call notification by 10:00 AM that day.
Once the winner is confirmed, all submitted recipes will be featured on our Instagram, with Chef tags included—so make sure you’re following along and ready to share!
For questions, please contact Cori Grafer at cgrafer@marylandrestaurants.com.
Let the sandwich showdown begin!
UPCOMING: Berlin Farmer's Market
Event Date: August 10, 2025
Time: 9AM - 1PM
Location: Main Street, Berlin MD 21842
The Restaurant Association of Maryland is happy to partner with the World Food Championships to bring you a qualifying competition at the Berlin Farmers Market.
The event will be Sunday, August 10, with a scheduled cooking start time of 10:00 am. Chefs should arrive early to set up.
We will have 5 Chefs all from the Berlin area, competing.
Justine Zegna, Blacksmith Restaurant
Toby Gilbert, Gilbert's Provisions
Yancey Carapico, Cap'ns Slice
Cherrise Graham, Forgotten 50 Distilling
Josh Morrison, Roadie Joe's
All judges and competitor positions have been filled.
Previous Social Media Challenge
Submission Date: September 2, 2024
Winner: Chef Jay Rolfing, Victoria Gastro Pub
Online @restaurantsinmd on Instagram
For the final WFC qualifier of 2024, RAM is going viral! The winner of this social media challenge will be awarded a Golden Ticket to the WFC finale in the vegetarian category. Competing chefs must submit a recipe and photos of an original, veggie-centric dish that features local produce as the star. Final dishes will be uploaded and voted on through the official RAM Instagram page. The dish with the most votes will win a Golden Ticket! Registration is free! This event is sponsored by Maryland's Best and McCormick For Chefs.
Previous Competition: Farm Fresh Olney
Date: August 4, 2024
Winner: Dario Arana-Rojas
2801 Olney Sandy Spring Rd, Olney, MD 20832
Previous: The Olney Farmers and Artists Market is a weekly opportunity for local vendors and artists to sell goods to the public. On Sunday, August 4, RAM will host a culinary competition where the winner will receive a cash prize and a chef's category Golden Ticket to the WFC Finale in Indianapolis, IN. Competitor buy-in for this competition is $100. Produce and seafood are provided by Maryland's Best; seasoning bundles are provided by McCormick For Chefs.
Previous Competition: Surf & Earth at OCHMRA Expo
Date: March 3-4, 2024
Winners: Jonathan Hicks, Black Flag Social House, JT Tupper, Ocean 13
Previous: The OCHMRA Trade Expo in Ocean City is the largest annual hospitality convention in Maryland. This year will mark the expo's 50th anniversary, and to celebrate, RAM is hosting two culinary competitions with two opportunities for chefs to win a Golden Ticket to compete at the WFC finale in Indianapolis, IN. One competition will feature local seafood provided by Maryland's Best Seafood, while the second category will highlight local produce supplied by Maryland's Best Agriculture. Seasoning bundles for both competitions will be provided by McCormick For Chefs.
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