Visit Temecula Valley Announces Best Burger and Loaded Fries at the Battle of the Burgers Competition
The third annual Battle of the Burgers combined local restaurants, Pechanga Resort Casino, and Temecula Valley high school students in a friendly competition that provides training and real life experiences for culinary students.
TEMECULA VALLEY, Calif., Oct. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The third annual Battle of the Burgers was held on Saturday, October 19, 2019 at Pechanga Resort Casino. Seven restaurants located in Temecula Valley competed for the Judge's Choice & People's Choice awards. The event was a collaborative effort between Visit Temecula Valley, Pechanga Resort Casino, and Temecula Valley Unified School District (TVUSD).
"People love a good burger when they travel and Temecula Valley has a lot of great hamburgers." says Annette Brown, Director of Public Relations at Visit Temecula Valley.
There was also a "Loaded Fries" component to the event. This competition included thirteen of Pechanga Resort Casino executive chefs partnering with third year Career Technical Education (CTE) students from Temecula Valley High School. The students teamed with the chefs to create their "Loaded Fries" recipes. During the event, the students became the chefs and the Pechanga chefs were their assistants.
The event was a sellout, with 400 attendees. Students families and friends, as well as restaurant fans, the community, and travelers came to the event to taste and vote for their favorites.
Restaurants that participated in the burger competition were Café Champagne at Thornton Winery, Crush & Brew, Cork Fire Kitchen at Temecula Creek Inn, Devilicious Eatery, Mad Madeline's Grill, Matty G's Steakburgers, and Siggy's. Thirteen chefs representing Paisano's, Kelsey's, Blazing Noodle, Great Oak Steakhouse, Pechanga Café, Bamboo, Journey's End, Pechanga Buffet, Umi Sushi & Oyster Bar, Lobby Bar & Grill, Temptations Food Court, as well as Banquet & Catering and Garde Manger.
The students showed off their creativity with ingredients like steak and shrimp, tempura, caramelized onions, Polynesian sauce, spicy mayo, sweet potatoes, cheesy alfredo sauce, cilantro microgreens, cumin lime ranch, and more. This event provided a unique experience they cannot otherwise receive at this stage in their studies.
"Battle of the Burgers affords students the opportunity to learn-by-doing with professional chefs in a creative, collaborative, and enjoyable competition. TVUSD CTE students benefit from the collective experience of the valley's culinary masters. We greatly appreciate the generosity of Visit Temecula Valley and Pechanga Resort Casino, as we benefit from our community partners to maintain the sustainability of our CTE programs," says Tim Dignan, Director of Alternative Education and CTE
All proceeds from the event were donated directly back to the CTE program for the high school culinary students. Prizes were also donated for opportunity drawings during the event. These prizes were donated by, Cork Fire Kitchen, Crush & Brew, Devilicious Eatery, Mad Madeline's Grill, Pechanga Resort Casino and Visit Temecula Valley.
Burger Winners:
Judge's Choice
First Place – Triple 333, Mad Madeline's Grill
Second Place – The Craft Burger, Devilicious
Third Place – The Brie Burger, Crush and Brew
People's Choice
First Place – Triple 333, Mad Madeline's Grill
Second Place – Field of Dreams, Matty G's
Third Place – The Craft Burger, Devilicious
Loaded Fries Winners:
Judge's Choice
First Place – Loaded Chicken Fries, Journey's End
Second Place – Tempura Fries, Bamboo
Third Place – Asian Over the Border, Great Oak Steakhouse
People's Choice
First Place – Surf & Turf, Temptations Food Court
Second Place – Steak & Shrimp Fries, Blazing Noodles
Third Place – Polynesian Chicken, Pechanga Buffet
About Visit Temecula Valley
Visit Temecula Valley is the region's official tourism marketing organization and an online resource for visitors at VisitTemeculaValley.com. Temecula Valley Visitors Center is located in Old Town Temecula (Third Street and Mercedes). For visitor information and assistance, call (888) 363-2852 or (951) 491-6085.
SOURCE Visit Temecula Valley
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