Hamburger Hop, part of the Chicago Gourmet festival presented by the Illinois Restaurant Association, was staged on the Harris Theater rooftop Sept. 26 and paired chefs in a Northside vs. Southside “Culinary Crosstown Classic” format. Sponsors included Sysco, DoorDash and Blue Moon, which also supplied key ingredients and voting materials for the People’s Choice component. The event was emceed by Joe Flamm and Sarah Grueneberg.
The format required each competing chef to use staple ingredients provided by sponsors, while giving them creative freedom over condiments, cheeses and toppings. Attendees sampled burgers and cast votes by dropping Blue Moon bottle caps into buckets stationed at each chef’s table, while an expert judging panel evaluated entries based on flavor, creativity, and presentation.
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At the conclusion of the evening, Devon Quinn and Brian Shim of eden earned the Judges’ Choice award for their “eden Market Burger,” which featured a house‑blend American cheese, dill pickle‑corn slaw, flatwater arugula, oven‑dried tomatoes and black garlic Dijonnaise on a Turano potato bun.
The People’s Choice award went to Chris Cunningham of JT’s Genuine Sandwich Shop for his “JT’s Special Burger,” built with Kerrygold aged cheddar, Dijonnaise, pickled Granny Smith apple and hickory‑smoked bacon on a Turano French brioche.
Beyond the winners, the event drew a strong field of chefs, including Tony Priolo, Israel Idonije, Martial Noguier, Joey Beato and so many others.
The judging panel included Amy Cavanaugh (Chicago Magazine), Ron Kittle (Chicago White Sox, Sylvia Perez (Fox 32), Jeff Schulman (Molson Coors), Tony Seisser (Invesco QQQ) and Josh Pearlman (GIANT).
The evening was set to DJ music and framed by sweeping skyline views, with chefs flipping burgers under open sky and guests mingling and sampling in a lively rooftop environment. (For more Chicago Gourmet events, click here)
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