Table Talk: Local chefs head to World Food Championships
Lisa Gwatney, (from left back), Brandon O'Guin, Geoff Maynard, Lance Gehring, Tommy Shive, Michelle O'Guin, Miles O'Guin, and Josee Chalut pose for a portrait will be going to the World Food Championships next month. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
Welcome to Table Talk, where The Daily Memphian writers and editors send the latest food news — along with a dash of this and that — directly to your inbox every Wednesday.
Memphis may not be a food city in the same way that Paris is or Barcelona is or New York or even Las Vegas is. (My apologies if you disagree.)
But when the World Food Championships kick off in Indianapolis next month, a large contingent of Memphians will be among the 288 teams competing.
And even though the competition includes 12 categories, including vegetarian, rice, bacon and noodle, Memphis’ background with barbecue has been key to the local competitors.
“It’s pretty much the elite, the best of the best,” said Michelle O’Guin of the event. She’s competing in the “live fire” category while her husband, Brandon, competes in the seafood category. Their son is also cooking in the new junior competition this year.
But they started with barbecue.
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Mary Cashiola
Mary Cashiola has been a Memphis journalist for nearly two decades, beginning her career covering city government and local neighborhoods at the Memphis Flyer before being hired by Memphis Mayor A C Wharton’s administration.
Before joining The Daily Memphian, she was the managing editor of the Memphis Business Journal, which was named one of the top 10 Best Designed Newspapers in the world by the Society of News Design while she was there.
She also has a background in advertising, with a focus on higher education and the hospitality industry.
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