Burger heaven in ECC contest at casino
The “Turkey B, C & G” burger that Steven Droesch of South Elgin concocted for the annual Elgin Community College burger competition certainly wowed the judges at Grand Victoria Casino last week.
The turkey burger with bacon, cheddar cheese and guacamole was declared the best of the six finalists vying for a $2,000 ECC scholarship and a spot on the Prime BurgerHouse menu at the casino.
Deanna Chrones of the ECC marketing department and Ron Onesti of the Arcada Theatre, who was a judge in the competition, sent notes to remind me to stop in at the competition and enjoy some samples of the burgers from last year's competition, along with milkshakes from the restaurant.
Needless to say, a juicy burger with shredded pulled pork and American cheese on top was quite delightful. And the vanilla milkshake went down smoothly.
It would be hard to imagine a more pleasant way to spend a chilly Thursday afternoon.
Former ECC culinary arts director Mike Zema did a great job of hosting the event at the casino's Fox River Room, asking attendees burger-related trivia questions while the chefs were cooking.
I actually knew the answer to the question asking which hamburger chain is the oldest in the U.S. It is White Castle, which officially opened in 1921.
‘Danno' known here
The story about “Danno” passing away last week may have seemed like just another tribute to a Hollywood star, but plenty of folks around here knew actor James MacArthur fairly well.
MacArthur, 72, was well past his fame from the original “Hawaii Five-O” series by the time he started showing up at Royal Fox or Stonebridge each year in the mid-1990s as a participant in the Midwest Golf Pro-Am events to benefit Special Olympics. MacArthur was a distant relative of the late Skott Zimmerman, who hosted these popular golf outings in which area residents could play with professionals.
I met the very likable “Danno” at one of these events, but wasn't much of a “Hawaii Five-O” follower. However, had I known at the time that he also starred as one of the sons in the 1960 film “Swiss Family Robinson,” I would have been star-struck for sure. That was the first movie I ever saw at a drive-in theater as a kid.
Helping the horses
If you like horses, but don't get to be around them too often, there is a volunteer opportunity waiting for you. Orientation for fall volunteers for the Field of Dreams Horse Rescue and Adoption will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the organization's barn in St. Charles.
Those interested have to go on the fodhra.org website, click on “waiting list,” fill out that application and e-mail it back to the organization. Directions to the barn will be sent back to applicants.
Running with purpose
The runners showed up in big numbers to kick off Batavia's recent BatFest celebration with a 5K run to benefit the Batavia United Way.
And benefit it did. Race organizers are reporting that the event raised at least $5,500, which will help support the 17 organizations served by Batavia United Way.
dheun@sbcglobal.net