South Mississippi Living’s Chelsea Gieselmann Cooks Her Way to Third Place at the World Food Championships
When Chef Chelsea Gieselmann clinched a win at the World Food Championships in Indianapolis, it wasn’t only a victory for Southern flavors—it was a tribute to the generations of women whose recipes shaped her in the kitchen.
“It’s the world’s largest cooking competition,” she laughed. “Over 30 countries, 400 teams, and chefs who could fill a dumpster with awards. And somehow, we waxed ’em.”
Gieselmann, an Alabama native and South Mississippi Living’s resident food columnist, competed in the seafood category after earning her “golden ticket” from a third-place finish in the rice division last season. Her all-women team, Sizzlin’ Grits, included her daughter MJ Greathouse, 16, and sous chef Kimberly Gilgar. The trio went head-to-head with culinary heavyweights, including French-trained chefs and multi-restaurant owners.
“I’m just a small-town girl taught by my great-grandma and my grandma,” Gieselmann said. “Standing beside all those chefs felt unreal.”
South Mississippi Living Editor Kelsey Sunderman-Foster said Gieselmann is more than deserving of the spotlight she’s earned.
“Chelsea is a longtime friend in addition to being the magazine’s resident food columnist,” Sunderman-Foster said. “She is such a talented and kind person. Over the years, she has given our readers so many amazing recipes to try, and we could not be prouder of her for her accomplishments both on and off the page.”
Sunderman-Foster added that for years, Gieselmann refused to call herself a “real chef,” preferring titles like “home chef” or “social-media chef”—if any title at all. “But each new accolade has proved that this homegrown Alabama girl is every bit as much a chef as those in any restaurant,” she said.
For the semifinal round, Gieselmann created her Southern masterpiece, Loaded Étouffée—a comfort dish elevated to artistry with Gulf seafood she hauled all the way to Indiana. “I wasn’t about to make my plates with anything but the Gulf on them,” she said.
Her final-round dish, Sassy Siren, layered fried conch, scallops, and shrimp over radicchio slaw with a bacon-fat pan sauce. Every detail mattered—right down to the antique porcelain bowls she hunted through seven thrift stores to find. “I wanted the kind of bowls your great-grandma would have,” she said.
When her team’s name was called for third place, Gieselmann broke down on stage. “I was crying like a baby,” she said, laughing. “I called my grandma first thing. She taught me so much about cooking. I just wanted her to know we did it—and I wanted her to know first.”
Next year, Gieselmann will return to the World Food Championships with another golden ticket and the same determination that carried her from her grandma’s kitchen to the global stage.
Team Sizzlin’ Grits
Chefs Chelsea Gieselmann + MJ Greathouse + Kimberly Gilgar
