The St. Louis food scene has two new feathers in its cap—and they come with international acclaim.
Today, chefs Jevon Brewer and Jack MacMurray were named world champions in their respective categories by the World Food Championships, a prestigious international culinary competition held in Indianapolis November 8–12. Brewer won for the World Chef Champion title, and MacMurray won for the World Bacon Champion title. More than 225 teams from around the globe competed for the coveted crowns, with St. Louis being the only city to occupy two of the 12 winning category spots.
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“I am beyond honored and grateful to have won the World Chef Championship,” Brewer posted on Instagram earlier today. “This incredible journey has been filled with soooo much passion, hard work, and support from so many amazing people. Thank you all to everyone who believed in me and inspired me along the way—this victory is as much yours as it is mine.”
Reached for comment, MacMurray echoes Brewer’s pride in his win and what it means for St. Louis.
“This is the most legit competition I have competed in throughout my entire 30-year career,” says MacMurray. “You are competing against Michelin-starred chefs and other real-deal chefs and cooks from around the world. It’s very serious, and it’s a true world championship.”
Described as the food sport world’s “version of March Madness, plus a pinch of the Olympics and a heavy dose of the Super Bowl,” the World Food Championships is an annual event that draws more than 1,200 culinary professionals to its five-day competition. To get to the World Food Championships, entrants must first receive a golden ticket, which they obtain through a series of competitions at the local level through groups affiliated with the World Food Championships. Roughly 15,000 contestants enter at this level; less than 10 percent make it to the finals.
Brewer has been making a name for himself in the St. Louis food scene, thanks to his work with Umoja Food Group, Juwan Rice’s culinary brand. MacMurray is a veteran St. Louis chef who’s worked everywhere from Annie Gunn’s to Chandler Hill and now calls the kitchen at Old Hickory Country Club home. No stranger to competitions, MacMurray has won events such as Taste of St. Louis and Soulard Mardi Gras’ Cajun Cook-off. This is his second time being crowned World Bacon Champion by the World Food Championships.
While both chefs are currently basking in the glory of their wins, they have even more work to do. The dozen World Food Championship category winners will go on to compete against one another for the title of World Food Champion and a $150,000 prize at the World Food Championship’s ultimate competition, the Final Table, which is tentatively slated for March 2025 in Bentonville, Arkansas.
“All of us champions will go up against one another for the ultimate title,” says MacMurray. “It will be a top-notch competition where people are winning and losing by tenths of points. At that point, whoever wins is truly the World Champion.”
