Chefs battle in Sacramento burger cook-off judged by area celebrities. Who won?
It was Sam Shafer’s first burger cooking competition, and the chef wanted to stand out. Just any old brown sesame seed bun wasn’t going to cut it. Shafer plotted for weeks.
“You first eat with your eyes,” the chef said Saturday afternoon in Sacramento’s Discovery Park.
So, Shafer asked a local bakery to make charcoal black brioche buns.
The chef also tasted different ground meats and worked on the condiments, eventually deciding on a jam of candied bacon, onions and tomatoes. Though, Shafer didn’t stop there, pairing that topping with a spicy aioli and pickled shallots. Arugula and cheddar cheese were added as well, creating a kaleidoscope of flavors with each bite.
Is Shafer a burger snob?
Hardly.
“I love a double cheeseburger from McDonald’s,” said the executive chef of the Kimpton Sawyer Hotel, next to Golden 1 Center in Sacramento’s Downtown Commons. “I eat that probably two-to-three times a week.”
Each bite brings back childhood memories.
That was what Patricio Wise was also trying to tap into as one of seven competitors in the burger battle and fundraiser organized by the American River Parkway Foundation.
Wise, co-owner of Nixtaco, went with a brown sesame seed brioche bun, with onions, cheddar cheese and patty of ground short rib, brisket and rib eye. No flashy condiments, but heavy on the nostalgia.
“We wanted to appeal to the visitor’s childhood,” Wise said, shortly after Jimmy Buffet’s “Cheeseburger in Paradise” played in the background — an easy pick for the event’s playlist.
Dianna Poggetto, executive director of the American River Parkway Foundation, said the group wanted to expose people to the area who hadn’t been there before and also remind people those who have of what it has to offer. Along with chomping on burgers, kids ran around in the green grass and adults sipped on beer.
“Parks should be used for community events,” Poggetto said. “We have a great resource.”
Lauren and Tony Whetstone are regular park users and were sitting under a tree in camping chairs, with beer in their red cups and near a small stack of plates with only remnants of burgers left on them. Lauren wasn’t so sure about Shafer’s creation when the chef described it. But she made up her mind when it hit her tongue.
“I loved the jelly,” Lauren said.
The couple wasn’t ready to award a winner. They, like the dozens of other people who attended the event, were able to cast votes on their top choices, but they still had two more burgers to try.
Sacramento celebrities help crown winner
A small panel of local figures including Anh Phoong, the personal injury attorney whose face and business are splashed across billboards all across the region, served as celebrity judges.
To prepare, she worked out a little extra in the gym Saturday morning, she said, and had a small breakfast.
“Anh Phoong is a burger slayer,” said Assemblymember Maggy Krell, a Sacramento Democrat. Krell called herself a “lifelong In-N-Out” fan. But on Saturday, her favorite of the bunch was made by Sacramento firefighters.
Capt. Justin Sylvia, a Sacramento Fire Department spokesperson, said their way of standing out was to use blue cheese.
That said, the group wasn’t expecting to top a roster of seasoned chefs.
“We’re kind of winging it,” Sylvia said.
Even so, when the celebrity judges finished their taste test, the firefighters came in tied for third.
The small crew pumped their fists after the rankings were announced.
“We’re pretty ecstatic,” Sylvia said.
First place went to Shafer for the chef’s meticulously crafted burger.
“I was not expecting this at all,” Shafer said, clutching onto a trophy featuring a stack of gold-colored burger patties.
So what is the chef’s secret to good cooking?
“Patience.”
