Local chefs in casino's burger showdown

Rosemary Arquinego had two dreams in life: to become a teacher and to become a chef.

Initially, she chose education, working as an elementary schoolteacher in Schaumburg for more than 20 years. But her dream of working in a kitchen never died.

“I grew up in an Italian family with a lot of food, family and fun,” says Arquinego, a Streamwood resident. “It's always been a dream of mine to go to culinary school.”

After she took an early retirement from teaching amid a difficult budget climate for schools across the state, Arquinego decided it was time to finally chase her second dream. In January, she enrolled in the well-regarded culinary program at Elgin Community College.

Less than a year later, Arquinego is one of six finalists in the second annual Burger Competition sponsored by ECC and the Prime Burgerhouse at the Grand Victoria Casino.

It was the first cooking competition she had entered.

“I was so surprised,” Arquinego said. “We were all required to do this as part of our culinary class.

The Burger Competition, now in its second year, was started last year as a way to spotlight ECC's culinary program and bring attention to the then-new Prime Burgerhouse, which has carved out a niche for itself with gourmet burgers, rich milkshakes and an eyebrow-raising menu (among the items is the provocatively named “BLT&A Burger”).

Because of the creative entries last year's competition prompted (the winning entry was the Bailout Burger), the casino decided to make the contest an annual event and open it to the public.

For her entry, Arquinego created the “Saltimburga,” a variation on the Italian veal dish saltimbocca. Arquinego's version contains veal, ground beef, prosciutto, sage and tomato chutney her own innovation.

“When I thought about this, I thought, ‘Why don't I try to think of a classic Italian dish and turn it into a burger?'” Arquinego said. “I definitely have a wealth of recipes from my Italian culture.”

Like Arquinego, fellow adult learner Greg Fischer hoped to craft a burger that represented a particular culinary tradition. Fischer came up with the Greek Burger, which includes ground lamb and ground beef with feta cheese in a pita similar to a gyro.

Unlike Arquinego's Saltimburga, the Greek Burger has nothing to do with Fischer's family background.

“I'm Hungarian and English,” said Fischer, also a Streamwood resident. “I just like the food.”

Fischer too was prompted to enroll in ECC's culinary program because of a change in his job situation. Fischer recently lost his job as a purchasing director when the audiovisual company he worked for was sold.

“I always liked cooking,” Fischer said. “I thought while I'm waiting on these resumes I've sent out, I'll take some culinary courses, and that's what brought me to ECC. And I'm enjoying it.”

Both Fischer and Arquinego initially worried about taking classes with students who are often young enough to be their children, but those worries quickly faded when they met their classmates.

“This has just been really enlightening,” Arquinego said. “The kids have been a great inspiration for me. Nobody looks at age.”

Still, class is not without its intergenerational hiccups.

Says Arquinego, “I told a boy the other day, ‘Boy, if you were in my second-grade class, you would be in a time out.'”

The Burger Competition finals begin at 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 28, in the Fox River Room of the casino, 250 S. Grove Ave., Elgin. Guests can enjoy samples of Prime Burgerhouse's milkshakes and burgers while watching the contestants face off.

The winner gets a $2,000 scholarship; and his or her burger will be featured on the Prime Burgerhouse menu for a year.