BROOKSVILLE — Bracken County native Staci Graves Jett will be competing in the World Food Championships in Dallas, Texas Oct. 16-20, 2019.
Jett, who is the owner of Hog Heaven BBQ/Custom Creations Catering, will be returning to the competition for the second time, having come home as a top 10 for sandwiches in 2017 when the competition was held in Alabama. Her return was marked by a feeling of unfinished business.
“I didn’t go last year, but I knew I wanted to compete this year,” she said. “I just felt like I had unfinished business. The first time I competed, I wasn’t prepared. You had to make two sandwiches in the first round — the one everyone has to make and a signature sandwich — and I didn’t think I would make it past that round, so I didn’t have a third sandwich prepared. I made a third sandwich and it was good, but it wasn’t world winner good.”
Jett is no stranger to competition. She has competed on Travel Channel’s American Grill, where she won Louisville Grill Master and on Food Network’s Chopped Grilled Masters. She has also placed in several categories at the Pig Out in Maysville and won Taste of America.
Winning a sponsored competition is the pre-requisite to the World Championships.
This year, she is ready to come home a winner.
“I’m really excited,” she said. “I know what I’m going to do this time around. I’m trying to take recipes and put a Kentucky twist on them, because staying close to my roots — I always know that works out well for me. I know what to expect this time. Hopefully, I will come home with a win.”
According to Jett, during the competition, winners will be chosen in each food category. The category winners will receive $10,000. Those winners will then compete against each other for a title and $100,000.
“They have a category for just about every food type you can think of,” she said.
There is only one thing left for Jett to do before she goes to the competition: raise the money to go.
Jett said she believes she will need about $2,500 to pay for lodging and travel expenses.
“People don’t realize how expensive it is to do this,” she said. “It’s an expensive hobby and it’s my passion.”
There is a Go Fund Me page set up for Jett. That page can be found by visiting: https://www.gofundme.com/f/world-food-championships-travel-expenses?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet.
