TEMECULA – The 2024 Battle of the Burgers returned to Pechanga Resort Casino’s Summit Ballroom on Saturday, Jan. 20 after a four year hiatus. Temecula Valley’s local restaurants competed for “Best Burger” while Temecula Valley Unified School District Career Technical Education (CTE) students, partnering with Pechanga chefs and restaurants, competed for “Best Loaded Fries.”
The mission of CTE is to provide industry-linked programs and services that enable all students to reach their career goals in order to achieve self-sufficiency, compete in the local, state, and global marketplace, and contribute to the economic prosperity of their communities. CTE pathways are a series of sequential elective courses available to TVUSD students, with many courses offering the opportunity to earn free college credit and/or industry certifications.
The winners for the Best Burger fell into two categories: Judge’s Choice and People’s Choice, which was selected via ballots by ticketholding attendees. Devilicious Eatery & Tap Room’s “Wawahi Burger” won first place in Judge’s Choice with Mad Madeline’s Grill’s “Redneck Burger” and 8-Bit Brewing Co.’s “Super Smash Burger” as second and third place, respectively. The People’s Choice award went to Mad Madeline’s Grill’s “Redneck Burger” with Baily’s Old Town “Classic Burger” coming in second place and 8-Bit Brewing Co.’s “Super Smash Burger” coming in third.
In the Best Loaded Fries competition, the Judge’s Choice first place winner was Kelsey’s at Pechanga Resort Casino and students Ian Dalebout, Tanner Olson, and Diego Romero with their “Cowboy Fries.” Second place went to Blazing Noodles and students Carter Crouse and Hailey Mellinger for their “Philly Cheesesteak Fries.” Third place went to Banquets & Catering at Pechanga and students Kimberly Bazan, Brian Sheridan, and Zachary Truong for their “Spicy Spaghetti Fries.” People’s Choice first place win also went to the Kelsey’s team with second place going to Banquets & Catering Pechanga and third place going to Blazing Noodles.
The event is a collaborative effort between Visit Temecula Valley, Pechanga Resort Casino, and the Temecula Valley Unified School District, with all funds benefiting the TVUSD CTE Culinary Arts Program.
