Chicago Gourmet's 'Hamburger Hop,' 1,000 strong with a rare double winner

Chicago Gourmet’s “Hamburger Hop” was a sellout, packed to the gills (or grills) with over 1,000 guests clamoring for “cheeseburgers in paradise.” This event is part of Chicago Gourmet, an annual celebration of food and wine that traces its roots back to 2008 when it was first conceived by the Illinois Restaurant Association. The idea was to create a world-class food and wine festival that would not only celebrate the city's vibrant culinary scene but also showcase its emergence as a global culinary destination. 

This year’s popular Hamburger Hop was hosted by Chef Stephanie Izard (of Girl & the Goat) and held atop the Harris Theater in Millennium Park. The competitors included: Amanda Barnes of TAO Chicago; Christopher Curren of  The Graceful Ordinary;  Daniel DeSalvo of  Mastro's Steakhouse; Marco DiBenedetto from The Bellevue; Drew Dzejak of Alys Beach; Greg Gaardbo of Chicago Culinary Kitchen; Jitin Joshi from  Monarch & Lion; Gene Kato of  Momotaro; Dominique Leach of Lexington Betty Smokehouse; Zubair Mohajir of  Wazwan; Shota Nakajima of Taku; Daniel Pineda of Lost Reef; Nick Thanas of Lou Mitchell's; and Djibril Webb from Mordecai. 

Chef Dominique Leach (owner Lexington Betty Smokehouse and winner of Bobby Flay’s “BBQ Brawl” Season 4 ) likened the event to a “reunion.” “I love full circle moments. I worked this event as the sous chef for Paramount Events for many years and I couldn’t be more proud of myself for being here to represent myself and my own company.”

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the competition heated up. Attendees made their way from booth to booth, sampling gourmet burgers that defied tradition and dropping Blue Moon Brewing Company bottle caps into cans to designate their choice for “Best Burger” and “People’s Choice.” 

The panel of notable judges included Sylvia Perez (Fox News-32) , LeeAnn Trotter (NBC-5 Chicago), Phil Vettel (acclaimed food critic), Billy Dec (Sunda New Asian), Amy Cavanaugh (Chicago Magazine), Corey Grupe (Burger Federation and 2022 HH Judges’ Choice Award winner ), Dan Raskin (Manny’s Deli), Justine Stauffer (Molson Coors), and Audarshia Townsend (Informa Market’s Food & Beverage Insider). 

When the results were tallied, in a field of 15 great chefs,  Chef Shota Nakajima came out on top. He was named the Buckhead Meat Hamburger Hop Award winner in a photo-finish ending. His prize-winning "Osaka Burger" featured a Slagel Family Farms beef burger with provolone cheese, yuzu kosho cilantro kewpie, and pickled daikon and carrots on a Turano Brioche Bun.

Chef Nakajima’s burger also won over the crowd, leading to a rare double victory with a win in the People’s Choice Award category. The winner took home a SYSCO Gift Bundle, a $2000 DoorDash Community Credit to be donated to a charity of the winner’s choice, and a magnum of fine wine from Josh Cellars.

“Late Night Gourmet,” Hamburger Hop’s official after-party, was co-hosted by celebrity Chef Jernard Wells and Amanda Barnes (TAO Chicago) at TAO Chicago.