March 10, 2025. Louisville, KY. – The third time is a charm for Ira Mowman of Louisville, who was named this year’s burger boss and is taking home the title of 2025 Derby Burger Champion. The recipe for his Kentucky Fiesta Cheese Burger was declared the winner after a cook-off this morning between the top four finalists at the Kroger in Middletown. The 13th annual Derby Burger Challenge is sponsored by 80 Acres Farms, Dan-O’s Seasoning, Kentucky Beef Council and Kroger. Mowman’s burger is stacked with Kentucky Cattlemen’s Ground Beef, pico, avocado spread, chihuahua cheese, romaine blend, Dan-O’s chipotle seasoning, rosemary and sea salt.
This was Mowman’s third back-to-back year entering the competition and making it to the finals. He placed fourth in the 2024 competition and came in third in 2023. He’s already been receiving requests from family and friends for him to make his winning recipe, which he says was inspired by his 18-year-old daughter, Riniah.
“She is my heart… she takes after me and loves to cook herself. For this year’s burger, she gave me ideas and encouraged me to think outside the box,” he said. “I tried not to do your regular burger. I wanted to do something different.”
Mowman credits his mother, grandmother and great-grandmother for fueling his passion for cooking. “As my mother tells the story, my love for cooking started when I was 3 or 4 years old. My first experience cooking was making biscuits.”
Dozens of original recipes were submitted for this year’s culinary competition, and nearly 13,000 burger fans voted online to help pick the top four 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. All burgers were made of 100 percent Kentucky Cattlemen’s Ground Beef and included Dan-O’s Seasoning and greens from 80 Acres Farms in the recipe.
Other finalists included: 2nd place – Steve Rossell of Louisville with The Cowboy; 3rd place – Bette Niemi of Louisville with the Perfect Peppery Prosciutto Burger; and 4th place – Greg Yopp of La Grange, Ky., with the Brielicious Burger.
Mowman’s winning Derby Burger recipe will be featured at Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville on the Waterfront, held April 24 through May 2, as well as inside Kroger stores. He also receives a 2025 Official Derby Festival Poster, two VIP tickets to the Thunder Over Louisville VIP Rooftop Party, two VIP tickets to Republic Bank BourbonVille, a $100 gift certificate to Kroger, a grilling prize package courtesy of the Kentucky Beef Council, which includes a grill, a prize package from Dan-O’s Seasoning and an 80 Acres Farm swag pack. More information about the Derby Burger Challenge and past winners can be found online at www.kdf.org/beef.
