Columbia’s top chefs advance to World Food Championship

A team of six local chefs will represent the Columbia region at a World Food Championship event later this year.
The six were rated the best of the âTaste of Lake Murrayâ event by 600 people who attended the cooking competition at the Hilton DoubleTree in Columbia on Thursday.
The Lake Murray Country team will now travel to Dallas, Texas for the âUltimate Food Fightâ the week of November 5-9. There, they will face other great culinary artists from across the country. The best chefs will win $ 350,000.
The winning local chefs include:
⪠Kevin Schwab from Bistro on the boulevard
⪠Henry Griffin from Griffin Chophouse
⪠Arif Rizvi from RF Corner Grill
⪠Brandon Velie from Juniper
⪠John Worthington of Figaro the dining room
⪠Jon Cooper from Cucina Italiana d’Alodia
In addition, Mike McCloud, CEO of the World Food Championship, appointed Eric Crissey to Columbo Restaurant as “the president’s choice,” meaning Crissey will serve as an alternative if a leader cannot compete in November.
In Dallas, the team will face chefs from 40 states and 10 countries in 10 food categories – bacon, barbecue, burger, chef, dessert, recipe, sandwich, seafood, soup and steak.
Thursday’s event was sponsored by the Murray Country Lake and Capital Regional Tourism Council and raised funds for the annual July 4th fireworks show on the lake.
âWe are thrilled to send our six talented chefs to the World Food Championship,â said Lake Murray Country President Miriam Atria. âThis is an incredible opportunity for the Capital City / Lake Murray Country area and for the state of South Carolina. We’re excited to bring South Carolina cuisine to the world to enjoy. ”