Corkfire at Temecula Creek Inn and The Breakfast Club of Temecula took the top Judge’s Choice and People’s Choice honors for Temecula Valley’s Best Burger today at the sixth annual Battle of the Burgers, where a sold-out crowd of more than 400 and a panel of media judges sampled entries from eight local restaurants at Pechanga Resort Casino. The event also crowned Best Loaded Fries winners, created by Pechanga Resort Casino chefs paired with Temecula Valley High School (TVHS) CTE Culinary Arts Students and raised a record $13,314 for the Temecula Valley Unified School District’s Career Technical Education (CTE) Culinary Arts Program.

The Battle of the Burgers is a collaboration between Visit Temecula Valley, Pechanga Resort Casino, and the Temecula Valley Unified School District (TVUSD).

The Victors: Best Burgers

Judge's Choice

  • First Place: Banh Mi Burger, Corkfire at Temecula Creek Inn. Smoked pork and veal, char siu, house pickles, lemongrass chimichurri, hydroponic lettuce, charred pepper spread, and a leek ash bun.
  • Second Place: Rad to the Bone, Ebullition Brew Works Pub & Grill. Bone marrow butter burger made with an 8 oz. Wagyu patty, Swiss cheese, served dripping with bone marrow butter and topped with pickled Fresno chiles on a brioche bun rimmed with bone marrow butter and herbs. Served with a sidecar of caramelized onion jam.
  • Third Place: Truffle Wagyu Haystack Bacon Cheeseburger, Hendo’s Barrel House. Juicy Wagyu beef on a buttery brioche bun and black truffle sauce, topped with crunchy fried potatoes, crisp lettuce, fresh tomato, and unctuous bacon jam with smoked cheddar cheese. Served with a tiny pickle.

People's Choice

  • First Place: Dynamite Burger, The Breakfast Club of Temecula. 8 oz. grass-fed patty with a grilled jalapeno pepper, pepper Jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, and chipotle mayo.
  • Second Place: Rad to the Bone, Ebullition Brew Works Pub & Grill. Bone marrow butter burger made with an 8 oz. Wagyu patty, Swiss cheese, served dripping with bone marrow butter and topped with pickled Fresno chiles on a brioche bun rimmed with bone marrow butter and herbs. Served with a sidecar of caramelized onion jam.
  • Third Place:  Ray’s Burger, The Pinnacle at Falkner Winery. Black Angus beef, grilled with melted pepper Jack cheese, sauteed mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, and avocado.

These award-winning burgers are available for purchase at the winning restaurants through Dec. 31, 2026.

Fully Loaded: Best Loaded Fries

Pechanga Resort Casino Chefs worked side-by-side with student culinary teams from Temecula Valley High School to create one-of-a-kind French fry creations for the event. This special festival gives high school students who are highly interested and involved in the culinary arts the opportunity to work alongside professional chefs. The students get to have the chefs provide pointers for their loaded fry recipes, as well as share advice as to what it takes to make it as a chef. (Note: These special dishes are not available on regular restaurant menus.)

Judge's Choice

  • First Place: The Olympian, Paisano’s. Chef Edward Hyman with TVHS students Abner Yat and Sebastian Pablo Tomas.
  • Second Place: S’mores Sweet Potato Fries, Kelsey’s. Chef Ryan Stickel with TVHS students Angelina Rossetti, Riley McDougall, Jax Williams, and Liam Mader
  • Third Place: Fuego Blast, Journey’s End. Chef Jordan Garcia with TVHS Students Olivia Sanchez and Andia Shirvani

People's Choice

  • First Place: Jamaican-Me-Hungry Fries, Umi. Chef Charles Adkins with TVHS students Hailey Tronti, Raleigh Kay, Michael Sullin, and Evan Crisp
  • Second Place: S’mores Sweet Potato Fries, Kelsey’s. Chef Ryan Stickel with TVHS students Angelina Rossetti, Riley McDougall, Jax Williams, and Liam Mader
  • Third Place: Fuego Blast, Journey’s End. Chef Jordan Garcia with TVHS students Olivia Sanchez and Andia Shirvani

See all award-winning restaurants and their dishes here: Battle of the Burgers | Best Burger Competition in Temecula

Competing Restaurants

Competing restaurants were as follows:

  • Corkfire
  • Crush & Brew/Archive
  • Ebullition Brew Works Pub & Grill
  • Hendo’s Barrel House
  • Mad Madeline’s Grill
  • Pinnacle at Falkner Winery
  • The Breakfast Club of Temecula
  • The Gambling Cowboy

Voters made their selections in two main categories: Judge's Choice and People's Choice. The panel of judges included the following:

  • Dean Fioresi – CBS Los Angeles
  • Joel Greene – IE Explorer
  • Pam Kragen – San Diego Union-Tribune
  • Fielding Buck, Southern California News Group/Riverside Press-Enterprise
  • Priscilla Tapia – Temecula Foodies

Meanwhile, ticketholders submitted ballots for the People's Choice category winners.

“The Battle of the Burgers was truly a celebration of community, creativity, and culinary talent,” said Aimee Ricken, CTE Director, Temecula Valley Unified School District. “We are incredibly grateful to all of the TVHS culinary students and staff, Pechanga Resort Casino, our talented battling burger restaurant participants, Visit Temecula Valley, and every attendee who came out to support this special event. Each played an important role in making the day such a memorable success, and we couldn’t have done it without their enthusiasm, partnership, and passion for bringing our community together to support student CTE programs.”

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. The CTE Culinary Arts pathway is just one of 12 pathways offered through TVUSD. For more information visit https://www.tvusd.k12.ca.us/domain/11583 or on Instagram.

About Pechanga Resort Casino

Pechanga Resort Casino offers one of the most expansive resort/casino experiences anywhere in the United States. Voted best casino/resort in the United States by readers of Condé Nast Traveler and the best casino outside of Las Vegas by Newsweek, and rated a Four Diamond property by AAA every year since 2002, Pechanga Resort Casino provides an unparalleled getaway, whether for the day or for an extended luxury stay. Offering 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 Instagram, X and TikTok @PechangaCasino and on Facebook @Pechanga. 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. For more information visit http://www.visittemeculavalley.com.

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