ECC burger contest heats up

At Elgin Community College, pairing burgers with scholarships is becoming nearly as natural as burgers and beer.

At 4:30 p.m. next Wednesday, 19 culinary students will take part in the semifinal round of the Elgin's Grand Victoria Casino gourmet burger recipe/scholarship contest.

As part of the competition, the casino will walk away with a winning recipe to serve to its guests at its soon-to-be opening Prime Burger House restaurant. The students who earn the top three scores will walk away with scholarships ranging from $2,000 to $500.

According to Mark Bosanac, lead culinary instructor at the college, a team of judges, composed of ECC culinary professors and Grand Victoria chefs, will eliminate 13 of the 19 recipes after tasting several rounds of burger flights.

Bosanac gave us a sneak peek of a few of the recipes going head to head:

• Turducken burger: Burger composed of ground "Turducken," the popular Thanksgiving dish where a turkey is stuffed with both a duck and a chicken.

• Pretzel and beer: Pretzel bun paired with a beer-infused burger.

• The "Killer B" burger: Buffalo sauce, blue cheese and bacon.

• Ahi tuna: Seared ahi tuna replaces traditional beef.

• Dessert Burger: A sweet twist on the classic, with chocolate ganache serving as the "meat," and spongecake as the bun.

During the semifinals, students have 30 minutes to prepare their burgers. Those who advance will prepare them again Dec. 2 during the contest finals at the casino. Judges for the final elimination will include renowned chefs Jimmy Bannos, David Russell and Mike Zema.

As the competition nears, Bosanac is reminding students to prepare in advance. The experience, he said, is a "win-win" for the college, no matter what the outcome. Other area companies, including Elgin's John B. Sanfilippo & Son Inc., have expressed interest in holding similar "cook-offs" with culinary students' recipes.