The Ultimate Burger Battle is back for round two. Last year’s event was such a success, United Way Guelph Wellington Dufferin decided to challenge local restaurants, once again, to come up with the best bite. “It’s really sort of a win-win-win,” explained Glenna Banda, the organization’s executive director. “It brings people together around food that a lot of people love, it supports local restaurants and, then at the same time, it provides funding for food security initiatives.” Two dollars from every burger goes back to the community. This year, seven restaurants in Guelph took part in the battle, as well as one from Elora. Chefs showed off their culinary skills while also crafting tasty food combinations. “Our burger is made on a house made bun,” explained Noah Vettoretto, the chef for Royal Electric. “It has a six-ounce burger patty, chuck brisket blend, with smoked pulled pork, onion rings and some house made dijonnaise and iceberg lettuce.” Bar Mason, at Delta Hotels Guelph, was last year’s winner. “I think cheese and bacon make the best burger, and of course the sauce,” said Kira Pressey, the chef for Bar Mason, who was vying for another Ultimate Burger Battle title. Rick Duffy, chef at Elora Distilling Company, got creative with his creation called the Pineapple Express Burger. “It’s a combination of two of our liquors that we put together,” he said. “We have our barbecue sauce, which is infused with our spiced rum. Then the pineapple is infused with a Café Noir, which is similar to Kahlua. We soak that overnight, grill both of them up, add a little Monterey Jack [cheese] to it, and crispy onions.” Three rewards are up for grabs – Ultimate Burger of the Year, Most Ultimate Burgers Sold and the People’s Choice Ultimate Burger. The community is encouraged to visit all the competitors, try their burgers and vote online for their favourite. The event runs from Nov. 1 to Nov. 30. Here’s the list of the participating restaurants:
