Elgin student's burger wins prize, spot on menu
Getting a chance to show off his cooking chops gave Elgin Community College student Manny Espino the motivation to improve his grades so he could enter a competition to create the best hamburger.
Espino's efforts - a combination of savory, sweet and spicy in an enticing presentation - earned him the top prize in the ECC-Prime BurgerHouse competition Thursday at the Grand Victoria Casino eatery.
His creation - a ground beef patty on leaf lettuce, red onions and grilled pineapple, topped with pepper jack cheese and marinated shrimp on a toasted brioche bun layered with sriracha mayo - will be featured on the restaurant's menu for a year.
"I'm very excited," said Espino, an Elgin resident. "All my friends have been wanting to try it for the longest time, but I can only make so many burgers at time."
Espino named his burger "Bikini Bottom" after the fictional city in the animated series "SpongeBob SquarePants." His prize was a $2,000 scholarship from the ECC Foundation.
First runner-up Jessica Bahena of Elgin got a $1,000 scholarship, while second runner-up Michael Aderman of St. Charles earned a $500 scholarship. All three are culinary arts students at ECC.
Judge Jim Baumann, who's sampled the goods in four of the five annual competitions, said he gave the winning burger his highest score yet.
"It was the rare case in which the most elaborate burger was also the best tasting," said Baumann, managing editor of the Daily Herald. "I was worried about it, because that photo (in the judges' packet) looked like a mess."
Espino's presentation "just had that look," said judge Frank Redisi, owner and executive chef of Cafe Roma in Elgin.
Espino was a semifinalist in the competition two years ago, then let his grades slip and wasn't eligible to enter last year.
"Obviously I should have had my grades up, anyway. This gave me some extra motivation," he said.
He accepted his prize before a crowd that included his mother, brother, cousin, friends and classmates.
"I love to cook, so I think he got that from me," said a beaming Carmen Quintana, Espino's mother. "I wished he would do it more. He jokes he doesn't get paid at home."