Chefs are not just the leaders in the culinary industry. They’re also the leaders around key issues that affect the future of food.
Chefs from around the country participated in the James Beard Foundation's Blended Burger Project™, a creative competition that revamps the iconic burger with a blend of chopped mushrooms and ground meat for better flavor, sustainability and nutrition.
Five top chefs presented their blended burgers at a James Beard House reception of more than 150 attendees--including leaders in the healthy and sustainable food movement, elected officials, fellow chefs and media. The guests feasted on slider versions of each of the chef’s winning recipes. During the promotion, more than 2 million consumer votes were submitted in this year’s Blended Burger Project™.
Winning chefs (and their burgers) are:
- Michael and Laurence Gottlieb, The Wood’s Kitchen, Bloomingdale, Ga., served up a Worcestershire-glazed double mushroom burger with charred Vidalia onions served on a mushroom-salted brioche bun. The burger combined earthy local beef and cremini mushrooms.
- Logan Guleff, Logan’s Underground Supper Club, Memphis, Tenn., presented The Mushroom Monster, equal parts portabella mushrooms and ground beef, then seasoned with its own Legends seasoning blend. The burger was topped with fontina cheese, lettuce, tomato and bacon, and served with a mini-milkshake.
- Toni Elkhouri, Cedar’s Cafe, Melbourne, Fla., featured ground beef blended with portabella, shiitake and cremini mushrooms, topped with pomegranate ketchup, banana pepper curry mustard, tahini remoulade, balsamic onion, goat cheese, bacon, spinach and avocado.
- Adrian Cruz, The Orchard Lounge, McAllen, Texas, created a shiitake, chorizo and beef patty, topped with housemade strawberry-fig jam, chipotle aioli, pickled cucumber, butter lettuce, fried egg, bacon, tomato and a medley of mushrooms.
- Misha Levin, Bareburger, New York City, N.Y., topped their wild boar and sweet tamari mushroom blended burger with pickled red onion, crispy mustard greens and a Sriracha vinaigrette.
For the past several years, chefs have faced increasing pressure to serve healthier and more sustainable meals that reduce calories and sodium and still taste delicious. The Blend concept is a perfect example of a real-world opportunity to help chefs in their mission to serve healthy, sustainable food, while staying true to their culinary craft and potentially changing the way Americans eat.
"As a proponent of sustainable, healthy foods, I'm thrilled to join the Blended Burger Project,” said Hugh Acheson, James Beard Foundation award-winning chef, author and Top Chef judge. “The meaty, umami qualities of mushrooms make them the perfect ingredient to boost a burger's flavor--and their nutritional and environmental qualities make a great burger even better."
To find out more information and to join the Blended Burger Project, go to: www.jamesbeard.org/blendedburgerproject
This post is sponsored by Blended Burger Project™