March 25, 2015. Louisville, KY. – Sarah Allgeier of Louisville is the winner of the 4th Annual “Derby Burger Challenge” sponsored by Kentucky Beef Council and coordinated by the Kentucky Derby Festival. Allgeier’s recipe for her Blueberry Bourbon Burger was selected as the overall winner after a cook-off this morning. It features ground beef stuffed with bourbon infused blueberries, topped with cheddar cheese, bacon, arugula, and maple bourbon aioli, all served on a delicious bun.
“I am so grateful that burger fans picked my recipe for the cook-off,” said Allgeier. “The recipe is easy to re-create and I hope everyone tries it.”
The Festival received dozens of submissions for the fourth annual competition. More than 7,500 beef lovers voted online to help pick the top 4 finalists. At the final cook-off, a panel of judges determined the overall winner based on points accumulated from four factors – Taste, Appearance, Creativity and Ease of Preparation. Vern Ramnes of Shelbyville finished runner-up in the contest with his Kentucky Beer Cheese Burger. Other finalists include Donna Gribbins of Shelbyville, with the Stuffed Green Chili Burger and Brandon Fullen of Louisville, with his Bourbon BBQ Bonanza;
Allgeier’s winning Derby Burger recipe will be featured as the Local Legendary Burger at Hard Rock Café Louisville in May, recognized in Louisville-area and Lexington-area Kroger stores and samples will be featured at the Kentucky Derby Festival’s BeerFest presented by American Founders Bank.
Allgeier receives VIP tickets to Thunder Over Louisville, tickets to Waterfront Jam and BeerFest at Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville, as well as a $100 gift certificate to Kroger and a grilling package from Kentucky Beef Council.
From now through April 17, all purchasers of fresh ground beef at any of the Kentuckiana Kroger stores (including Lexington locations) will receive a code at checkout (on the bottom of the receipt). The message encourages you to register online at www.kdf.org/beef for a chance to win VIP tickets to a Waterfront Jam Concert presented by the John R. Elliott HERO Campaign at Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville or BeerFest presented by American Founders Bank.
Since 1956, the Derby Festival has worked to bring the community together in celebration. The Festival is an independent community organization supported by 4,000 volunteers, 375 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.
