March 12, 2026. Louisville, KY. – A La Grange man was named this year’s burger boss and is taking home the title of 2026 Derby Burger Champion for his Caribbean twist on the classic burger. Greg Yopp’s recipe for The Jerk burger was declared the winner after a cook-off this morning between the top four finalists at the Kroger in Middletown. The 14th annual Derby Burger Challenge is sponsored by Dan-O’s Seasoning, Kentucky Beef Council and Kroger. Yopp’s burger is stacked with pepper jack cheese, red onion, mango, avocado, plantain chips and Dan-O’s Sweet Caribbean Seasoning.
This marked Yopp’s second straight year reaching the finals of the Derby Burger Challenge. He placed fourth in the 2025 competition. “I was the first one eliminated last year, and I’m the last one standing this time,” he said excitedly after being announced as the winner.
Yopp, a former chef, discovered he had a passion for working outdoors and now owns his own landscaping company. His love for cooking never faded, however, and grilling burgers remains a top choice.
“I love cooking anything on the grill…. and using jerk seasoning became one of my favorite concepts for cooking,” he said.
Yopp said he has been making some version of his Caribbean-inspired Jerk burger for more than 25 years and had long wanted to enter the Derby Burger Challenge. When he discovered a jerk-style seasoning from Dan-O’s Seasoning, he knew he had found the burger he wanted to submit for the annual competition.
Dozens of original recipes were submitted for this year’s culinary competition, and more than 55,000 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 in the recipe.
Other finalists included: 2nd place – 2025 Derby Burger Champion Ira Mowman of Louisville with The Smoke Show Slaw Cheeseburger; 3rd place – Jeny Fernandez of Louisville with the Cañonero II; and 4th place – Jason Thrasher of Columbia, KY with The Goober Burger.
Yopp’s winning Derby Burger recipe will be featured at Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville on the Waterfront, held April 23 through May 1, as well as inside Kroger stores. Yopp also receives a 2026 Official Derby Festival Poster, two tickets to the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport 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, and a prize package from Dan-O’s Seasoning. More information about the Derby Burger Challenge and past winners can be found online at www.kdf.org/beef.
