This Mushroom Month, we're announcing the talented chefs and restaurants behind this year's Blended Burger Project™ winners. These creative teams found ways to integrate mushrooms into their burgers, reducing the amount of water, land, and electricity used to get that patty between the buns.
During the 2019 contest, nearly 500 restaurants in all 50 states developed and served their version of a blended burger, which combines finely chopped mushrooms with meat to create a more delicious, nutritious, and sustainable burger. From Memorial Day until July 31, more than 402,000 online votes were cast at jamesbeard.org/blendedburgerproject. The top 25 restaurants with the highest number of votes were then reviewed by a panel of expert judges—Chris Morocco, senior food editor at Bon Appétit; David Stample, culinary philanthropist and creative director, In Cucina, NYC; and Erika Nakamura and Jocelyn Guest, star butchers and co-founders, J&E SmallGoods—who selected the final five champions. Those five restaurants will take home $5,000 each, and will have the chance to serve up their winning blended burgers at the historic James Beard House in New York City on October 23, 2019.
Our Blended Burger Project winners are:
Burger Shack, Lahaina, HI
The Maui Ono Mushroom Burger: 70/30 grassfed Maui beef and Kiawe-smoked king ali’I’mushroom patty on a toasted brioche bun with upcountry watercress, pickled hon shimeji mushrooms, red onion, carrot salad, Bel Paese cheese and kimchi ketchup.
Hops at 84 East, Holland, MI
The Trumpet Burger: 75/25 local brisket and trumpet mushroom grind, garnished with Roelli Red Rock cheddar bleu, housemade bacon, gochujang-pickled foraged ramps, local arugula, and duck fat mayonnaise on a black-and-white sesame bun.
Playalinda Brewing Company, Titusville, FL
The Viva Ybor! Burger: soppressata-seasoned beef, pork, and cremini mushroom blended patty topped with Swiss cheese, cured sweet ham, mojo pork pernil, English mustard, and housemade mustard pickles on Cuban bread.
Pompano Grill, Cocoa Beach, FL
The Psychedelic Phish Burger: blended patty of local Florida-caught cobia, Scottish salmon, and roasted cremini mushrooms, hoisin sauce, ginger and garlic. The patty is coated in a tuxedo sesame and panko crust, and topped with soy–wasabi mayonnaise, pickled shiitake mushrooms, and arugula, and served on a porcini mushroom–dusted brioche bun.
Vintage Year, Montgomery, AL
The Blended Burger: Alabama wagyu beef, cremini, and oyster mushroom patty with shaved fennel, apple, onion and ginger slaw; spiced sorghum glaze; and red kale on a brioche bun.
