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The World Food Championships (WFC) favorite and official tomato brand, Red Gold Tomatoes, will have a major presence at the 8th annual Final Table, which is being hosted in the company’s home state of Indiana. That presence will not only be products, but it will include one of the brand’s owners –– Colt Reichart.
Reichart, a fourth-generation owner, has worked for the family business his entire life. Learning all things tomato, he has worked in production, maintenance, quality assurance and sales. After he graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor’s degree in Sales & Marketing Management, he began taking on roles such as Marketing Analyst, Regional Sales Manager, and New Media Manager until eventually taking on his current role as Director of Marketing. He also holds an official Organoleptic Taste Certification from the Wolf Group, receiving the highest score in the company…so his taste buds are on point for judging.
His latest role will include judging, as Reichart will join an esteemed panel of food critics during the Final Table’s first challenge on August 8th at Ivy Tech Culinary Center. This is when all ten champions will be making a Pork and Parisian Gnocchi dish, after which the field will be narrowed down to just five contestants.
“This is going to be a tense moment,” stated Mike McCloud, President of WFC. “Basically a contestant has a 50/50 chance of making it past this judging panel. And since they have to use Red Gold products during this process, it’s exciting to have Colt on board to help us determine who should move on to the second challenge.”
There are three challenges during Final Table: Indy, making it one of the toughest culinary gauntlets in Food Sport. Challenge two involves remastering a duck dish created by a local, well-known chef, and the final challenge requires three contestants to present their version of the iconic Sugar Cream Pie. In all three challenges, there will be a separate panel of judges, which is a first in WFC history.
The ten Champions who will compete at the Final Table —which is hosted by Visit Indy and sponsored by Ivy Tech Culinary Center, Maple Leaf Farms, Sysco, Red Gold, The Pork Board, and Culinary Crossroads — include:
Lidia Hadaddian, two-time Category Champion from Pasadena, California
Jodi Taffel, 2019 Bacon World Champion from Altadena, California
Matthew Statham, 2019 World Chef Champion from Fultondale, Alabama
Morgan Cheek, 2019 World Burger Champion from Muscle Shoals, Alabama
Ryan Hegland, 2019 World Steak Champion from Lakeville, Minnesota
Josh Cooper, 2019 World Seafood Champion from Tallahassee, Florida
Kelli Fairchild-Cochran, two-time Sandwich Champion from Merced, California
Evette Rahman, two-time Dessert Champion from Orlando, Florida
Rocky Julianelle, 2019 World Open Chili Champion from East Haven, Connecticut
Ryan Murphy, 2019 World Barbecue Champion from Kansas City, Missouri
To learn more about “Final Table: Indy,” visit https://finaltable.worldfoodchampionships.com/.
Stay up-to-date on all culinary competition news, by following the World Food Championships on Twitter (@WorldFoodChamp), Facebook and Instagram (@WorldFoodChampionships).
About World Food Championships
The World Food Championships (WFC) is the highest stakes food competition in the world. This multi-day, live event culinary competition showcases some of the world's best cooks who compete for food, fame and fortune in 10 categories (Bacon, Barbecue, Burger, Chef, Dessert, Recipe, Sandwich, Seafood, Soup and Steak). In 2019, more than 450 culinary teams from 11 countries and 42 American states competed in WFC’s Main Event. The 10 Category Champs crowned will now face-off in the $100,000 challenge that will determine the overall World Food Champion at The Final Table: Indianapolis in August 2020.