August 4, 2020. Louisville, KY. – Derby Festival Fans can help pick this year’s ‘Derby Burger’ Champion. Dozens of original recipes were submitted in the spring for the competition sponsored by the Kentucky Beef Council. Those recipes featuring 100% beef have been narrowed to the top 8 recipes created by local chefs and foodies. Voting is now open online through August 8th to help choose the 4 burgers that will move on to the final round next week. Fans can visit KDF.org/Beef to vote for their favorite!
“With all the delicious entries this year, it wasn’t easy to narrow down to the Top 8,” said Katelyn Hawkins, Kentucky Beef Council. “Now we’re calling on burger fans around Kentucky to help choose the finalists, and ultimately the 2020 Derby Burger Champion.”
The 2020 Top 8 Derby Burger Challenge finalists come from around Kentucky including Louisville, Lexington, Shelbyville, and Mt. Sterling:
• Drake’s Angry Goblin Burger – Alan Lamoureux of Lexington (Chef at Drake’s in Lexington)
• The Big Ed – James Garst of Louisville (Chef at Whiskey Dry by Ed Lee)
• That Frisky Café Burger – Damon Merechant of Jeffersonville
• Pimento Cheese Bacon Burger w/ a Spicy Caramel Drizzle – Timothy Armistead of Louisville (Chef at Sodexo @ Bellarmine University)
• The Big Brown Butter Burger – Greg Schaad of Louisville
• Bourbon BlackBerry Glazed Bacon Cheeseburger – Donna Gribbins of Shelbyville
• Southern Charm – Lori Poe of Mount Sterling
• Win Place Show – Scott Wisdom of Louisville
This is the tenth year for the Derby Burger competition. Due to restrictions surrounding COVID-19, the competition will work differently than in year’s past. Instead of hosting a Final Round Cook-off in person, the Derby Festival and Kentucky Beef Council will host two rounds of online voting to crown this year’s winner. Plus, all recipes submitted for the 2020 Derby Burger Challenge will be automatically entered into the 2021 competition.
The burger recipes are judged based on Taste, Appearance, Creativity and Ease of Preparation. All burgers must be 100 percent beef. Official rules of the competition can be found online at www.kdf.org/beef. The 2020 winning burger will be featured inside Louisville-area Kroger stores from August 26 – September 8. Recipe cards will be available, as well as a showcase of ingredients for shoppers to purchase to make their own Derby Burgers.
The winning chef also receives VIP tickets to 2021 Thunder Over Louisville, 2021 VIP Experience at Waterfront Jam, tickets to 2021 BeerFest, as well as a $100 gift certificate to Kroger and a grilling package from Kentucky Beef Council.
