James Beard Foundation's Blended Burger Project Makes an Earth-Friendly Trend at Restaurants this Summer

The James Beard Foundation (JBF) is challenging restaurants and diners nationwide to reach for a better burger this summer a blended burger which adds at least 25 percent earth-friendly mushrooms into the patty. The Blended Burger Project kicked off on May 29 with more than 350 restaurants participating across 45 states, from fine dining to chain operators.

"A 'Blended Burger' is a much more sustainable and plant-forward opportunity for chefs to menu the iconic burger," said James Beard Foundation vice president Kris Moon. "We are excited to see so many restaurants of all types take part in the Blended Burger Project."

Among this year's participating restaurants: SuperBite in Portland, Ore., owned by Chefs Greg and Gabrielle Quinez Denton, winners of the 2017 James Beard Award for "Best Chef: Northwest."

"Grinding mushrooms into our beef adds hearty flavor while yielding a more healthful product," said Gabrielle Quinez Denton. "We are honored to join the Blended Burger Project in the search for that crave-able, more sustainable burger that not only stands up to a conventional burger, but makes it better."

Bareburger, whose NYC La Guardia Place location were winners of last year'sBlended Burger Project, have joined the competition again. This year the organic-focused, sustainable burger chain is serving its take on a blended burger at 33 locations across New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.

"We're featuring our new Porchetta Burger, which is made with a 50/50 mushroom and wild boar blend double the required mushrooms," said Chef Jonathan Lemon, director of culinary operations at Bareburger. "The burger is sauted and then placed on a ciabatta bun that is stacked with a black-garlic aioli, broccoli rabe, oven-roasted tomatoes, and aged provolone cheese. It will take your taste buds on a trip in a way Bareburger has never done, all while showcasing how great a blended burger can be."

Now through July 31, diners can take part by:

• Visiting participating restaurants and ordering the featured blended burger
• Voting for their favorite burger based on a set of judging criteria at jamesbeard.org/blendedburgerproject
• Promoting the #BlendedBurgerProject hashtag and their favorite burger through social channels

Chefs from the five restaurants with the most customer votes will win a trip to the historic James Beard House in New York City to showcase their blended burgers at an exclusive event in January 2018. For the first time, to honor the diner's important role in encouraging sustainable food choices at restaurants, one randomly selected voting customer will also win an expenses paid trip to New York to take part in the event. Chefs and diners can learn more about participating at jamesbeard.org/blendedburgerproject.

Over the past two summers, more than 500 restaurants have taken part in the Blended Burger Project, and burger fans cast more than two million votes for their favorite burger entries.

Note: No purchase is required to vote. Visit jamesbeard.org/blendedburgerproject to see a full list of participating restaurants nationwide, and all official voting and judging criteria.

About the James Beard Foundation (JBF)
Founded in 1986, the James Beard Foundation celebrates, nurtures, and honors chefs and other leaders making America's food culture more delicious, diverse, and sustainable for everyone.A cookbook author and teacher with an encyclopedic knowledge about food, the late James Beard was a champion of American cuisine. He helped educate and mentor generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts, instilling in them the value of wholesome, healthful, and delicious food. Today JBF continues in the same spirit by administering a number of diverse programs that include educational initiatives, food industry awards, scholarships for students of culinary arts and food policy, publications, chef advocacy training, and thought-leader convening. The Foundation also maintains the historic James Beard House in New York City's Greenwich Village as a "performance space" for visiting chefs. For more information, please visitjamesbeard.org. Get food news, recipes, and more at the James Beard Foundation'sblog, or subscribe to the free digital newsletter Beard Bites.Follow @beardfoundation onFacebook,Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Snapchat. Watch the James Beard House Kitchen Cam, James Beard Awards, and more on the Foundation's Livestream channel. Find more JBF-related video on the Foundation's YouTube channels.

SOURCE James Beard Foundation

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