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More than 400 hungry attendees and a panel of judges selected Temecula Valley’s Best Burger and Loaded Fries at the popular Battle of the Burgers at Pechanga Resort Casino on Saturday, October 12. This friendly and fun competition gives area restaurants a chance to show off their best burger and provides hands-on training for high school culinary arts students.
The event is a collaborative effort between Visit Temecula Valley, Pechanga Resort Casino, and the Temecula Valley Unified School District (TVUSD). All funds benefit the Temecula Valley Unified School District Career Technical Education (CTE) Culinary Arts Program, which engages students in hands-on, interactive, work-based learning to help prepare them for high-skill, high-wage, and in-demand careers.
Voting categories were Judge’s Choice and People’s Choice. A five-panel group of judges included Candice Woo, Eater San Diego, Fielding Buck, Southern California News Group/Riverside Press-Enterprise, James “Stew” Stewart, Mayor of Temecula, Joel Greene, IE Explorer, and Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune. Event attendees, which included over 400 ticket holders, also submitted ballots for the People’s Choice awards category.
A snapshot of the winners is available here.
The winners are as follows in the Best Burger category:
Judge’s Choice - Best Burger:
First Place: Pinnacle Restaurant at Falkner Winery, EverBurger (AKA Pinnacle Burger). Half pound Angus beef topped with melted cheddar cheese, bacon, grilled jalapenos, crispy shallots, lettuce, tomato, and 1000 Island spread.
Second Place: Luke’s on Front, Wham Bam Thank You Jam. Half pound grass fed beef patty topped with lettuce, tomato, roasted jalapenos, onion, garlic aioli, cream cheese, bacon and onion straws, finished with a roasted red pepper jelly on a homemade brioche bun.
Third Place: The Brunch House, Bacon Jam Beast Burger. 8 oz. beef brisket patty caramelized, demi glazed onions, slice of blue cheese, beef bacon, mushroom, tomato, bed of mustard greens, and a sunny side up egg served on a brioche bun.
People’s Choice - Best Burger:
First Place: Corkfire Kitchen, Mini Mac. American Kobe blend, special sauce, triple cream cheese, Persian pickles, and milk bread.
Second Place: Pinnacle Restaurant at Falkner Winery, EverBurger (as above).
Third Place: The Brunch House, Bacon Jam Beast Burger (as above).
Each restaurant will have their award-winning burger available for purchase through Dec. 31, 2024.
The following student/chef teams won awards for their Best Loaded Fries creations. Note: These items are not on restaurant menus, as chefs worked with students to create unique entries for the event.
Judge’s Choice - Best Loaded Fries:
First Place: Journey’s End Potato Puffs. Deep fried potato balls topped with honey garlic fried chicken and garnished with roasted sesame seeds and green onion. Created by students Kobie Craig, Matthew Sayrath, Tiffany Sang, Carrington Williams, and Capria Kingsberry with assistance from Pechanga Chef Jordan Garcia and his culinary team.
Second Place: Pechanga Café Sweet Potato Churro Bites. Sweet potato fries, candied pecans, blackberry, whipped maple cream cheese, finished with maple syrup and cinnamon sugar. Created by students Natalie Davis, Audrey Hilbig, Georgia Klippel, Gezelle Scott, and Greg Strahl with assistance from Pechanga Chef Brian Rivera and his culinary team.
Third Place: Kelsey’s Piaa Fries. Sweet potato waffle fries topped with BBQ pulled pork, finished with cheddar mac & cheese and garnished with crispy onions drizzled with lemon garlic aioli. Created by students Isaac Calac, Alexis Fifer, Arianna Gomez, and Parker Murray with assistance from Pechanga Chef Eric Celaya and his culinary team.
People’s Choice - Best Loaded Fries:
First Place: Pechanga Café Sweet Potato Churro Bites (as above).
Second Place: Journey’s End Potato Puffs (as above).
Third Place: Great Oak Steakhouse Chick n/ Cheezy. Buttermilk baked chicken tenders served over seasoned mac & cheese, finished with a hint of Comeback Sauce. Created by students Noah Strickland, Angela San Paolo, Logan Alexander and Kylie Patrick with assistance from Pechanga Chef Emmanuel Inocencio and his culinary team.
“Temecula Valley Unified School District is incredibly grateful for our partnership with Visit Temecula Valley and Pechanga Resort Casino,” said Jenni Huter, CTE Work-Based Learning Facilitator at Temecula Valley Unified School District’s CTE Program. “Our students had a valuable learning experience, and it is our hope that this event will help inform their decision-making process as they plan their future career paths.”
About the Temecula Valley Unified School District CTE Program
Career Technical Education (CTE) pathways are a series of sequential elective courses available to all students that combine academic, technical, and employability skills. Many of these courses offer students the opportunity to earn free college credit and/or industry certifications. All CTE courses engage students in hands-on, interactive work-based learning that will help to prepare them for high skill, high wage, and in demand careers. For more information visit https://www.tvusd.k12.ca.us/domain/11583 or on Instagram.
About Pechanga Resort Casino
Pechanga Resort Casino offers the one of the most expansive resort/casino experiences anywhere in the United States. Voted best casino outside of Las Vegas by Newsweek and the only resort/casino rated on Condé Nast Traveler’s Top Resorts Readers’ Choice 2024. Rated a Four Diamond property by AAA since 2002, Pechanga Resort Casino provides an unparalleled getaway, whether for the day or for an extended luxury stay. Offering more than 5,500 of the hottest slots, table games, world-class entertainment, 1,100 hotel rooms, dining, spa and championship golf at Journey at Pechanga, Pechanga Resort Casino features a destination unrivaled in California. Pechanga Resort Casino is owned and operated by the Pechanga Band of Indians. For more information, call toll free 1-888-PECHANGA or visit www.Pechanga.com. Follow Pechanga Resort & Casino on Facebook, Instagram and on X @PechangaCasino. Pechanga Resort Casino is open 24 hours. Guests must be 21 and older to enter the casino.
About Visit Temecula Valley
Visit Temecula Valley (VTV) is a nonprofit 501 (c)(6) destination marketing organization dedicated to promoting tourism-related businesses including wineries, restaurants, breweries, retail and specialty boutiques, hotels, short-term rentals, and more. It is a popular Southern California destination that includes Temecula Valley Wine Country, Old Town Temecula, and Pechanga Resort Casino. In 2019, Wine Enthusiast named Temecula Valley a 10 Best Wine Travel Destination in the world. For more information visit http://www.visittemeculavalley.com.
