“Discover Hidden Treasures” is the tagline for WorldClass and it defines the ethos of this company founded in 2021 by John Bergman and Devin Dvorak. In 2005, Bergman launched On Q Financial, and has since grown it into a national business and the largest mortgage banking company based in Arizona. Now he’s directed his passion for food and travel into another successful venture. “I love growing a business, and I’m just passionate about food,” explains Bergman. As a globe-trotting gourmand, his travels center around gastronomic hot spots and acclaimed restaurants. Dining in the world’s finest establishments means meeting talented chefs who, in turn, introduce him to their regions’ best ingredients. Inspired, he launched WorldClass with Dvorak to share these treasures with his home state.

John Bergman, co-founder of WorldClass (photo courtesy of WorldClass)

Like Bergman, Dvorak’s culinary travels also shaped their new enterprise. “It was in Argentina that I met my first true love – the Argentinian Asado.” he shares. “What started as a desire to find the best beef on the planet transformed into a treasure hunt for the best products across the globe.” As a result, WorldClass currently supplies restaurants in Arizona (and now Texas) with superlative ingredients from all over the world, including Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Portugal, Poland, and Spain, with plans to expand into more countries, such as France and Brazil.

WorldClass begins with referrals from top chefs to source the highest quality products. As part of diligent research, Bergman or his product team follow up by meeting producers to narrow down the top options. “It takes months, with numerous trips to numerous producers,” says Bergman. Chefs and an independent firm join in the stringent vetting process, which involves evaluating taste, quality, production methods, facility cleanliness, environmental awareness, and sustainability practices. For example, to choose the langostinos or Argentine Red Shrimp deemed worthy of being WorldClass, “we tested nine different types,” says Bergman. “Ours is the best, caught close to Antarctica in icy waters.”

WorldClass langostinos with Thai tamarind sauce at Lom Wong in Phoenix

The first product introduced to the Phoenix market was the world-famous beef of Argentina. Sourced from cattle which graze on the grasslands of Las Pampas, the fertile pastures surrounding Buenos Aires, this superior beef is completely free of hormones and antibiotics and prized for its rich flavor.

Argentine beef short rib with broccolini, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, and Burgundy reduction at Nook Kitchen in Phoenix

Since its initial offering, WorldClass has continued to expand its Argentinean portfolio. In addition to beef and langostinos, you’ll discover Argentine shortfin squid caught solely through jig fishing, an environmentally low-impact harvesting technique. There’s premium extra-virgin olive oil, a blend of Picual, Barnea, and Arauco olives grown in Valle de Famatina in the foothills of the Andes, and saffron hand picked by a collective of artisanal farmers. Dulce de leche is made with a family recipe that has been handed down since 1926; organic honey is cultivated from native flowers such as Garabato, Poleo, Itin, and Atamisqui; and aromatic teas are blended by Inés Berton, who counts among her legion of fans Oprah and the Dalai Lama.

Fantastic caviar is sourced from Uruguay and Poland, and from Chile comes long-line-caught seabass and wild king crab fished from the cold waters off the southernmost coast of South America.

WorldClass seabass with chile-lemon beurre blanc, asparagus and yellow romesco at Flint By Baltaire in Phoenix

Sourced from Spain is exquisite jamón ibérico de bellota from acorn-fed pata negra pigs that roam the Cinco Jotas (5Js) meadows. The pure-bred, black Iberian pigs are raised free range from the age of 4 months, and the pork is cured in centuries-old cellars in Jabugo using an artisanal process that can take up to five years. “Finding that quality took a lot of effort with referrals from Michelin-starred chefs,” says Bergman. “It’s the best in all of Spain. It’s phenomenal.”

From Portugal comes octopus sustainably caught using clay pots, an artisanal fishing method. The archipelago of the Azores is home to renowned cheeses made on the islands of São Miguel and São Jorge, and exotic artisanal jams such as Cape gooseberry and banana made by a co-op committed to environmental sustainability.

As WorldClass continues to traverse the globe, renowned chefs such as El Bulli alumnus Dante Liporace have joined the culinary search team.

Dante Liporace, Devin Dvorak. Nobuo Fukuda, Fernando Navas and John Bergman at the WorldClass El Bulli Cook-Off

What’s in store for the WorldClass future? More countries and more discoveries. And for the avid home cook wishing they had access to such incredible ingredients, WorldClass will soon be available direct to consumers! Stay tuned.

For the current catalog of WorldClass products, go to www.worldclass.com/products

This is a sponsored partnership with World Class.

WorldClass Shares Global Treasures