The James Beard Foundation is introducing the Blended Burger Project™ (BBPU), exclusively for college & university Chefs. Menu and promote your blended burger and win a trip to cook with other C&U chefs at the historic James Beard House.
Calling all C&U chefs
We know college and university chefs are pioneers of sustainability in this country. And we know they have been trendsetters and early adopters of the blend to influence sustainability and nutrition efforts. Because C&U chefs are leaders, we invite them to join the James Beard Foundation's Blended Burger Project™ Campus Edition and be a part of this growing movement to improve our carbon footprint, water usage and nutrition—and still give students the great flavor they want. This movement—the blend—is about making burgers better: better for the environment, better for the planet and better for our health. It’s everything C&U chefs stand for, and everything The James Beard Foundation wants to recognize them for.
The blend, meaning blending meat and mushrooms in burgers and other iconic foods, is a major trend heralded by a number of trailblazers and publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, WebMD, SyscoShape, The Today Show, Food & Wine, USA Today and more.
In return for being industry leaders, the James Beard Foundation has created The Blended Burger Project™ exclusively for college & universities (BBPU), which asks operators to develop their version of a blended burger using at least 25% mushrooms and ground meat, merchandise it to guests and encourage them to cast their vote for the blended burger on social media and the jamesbeard.org voting gallery. The six colleges/universities with the most votes in their category (by size) will win a trip to cook at the historic James Beard House in 2018. It’s an unimaginable opportunity that most C&U chefs won’t get—to showcase their talents, and their university, in front of media and food influencers at a prestigious location.
And why shouldn’t college & university chefs have this opportunity?
- Colleges and universities were among the first to adopt the blend as a way of building more sustainable menus and satisfying their students. This segment has been a leader in sustainable food practices for many years and has pioneered countless innovations on campus.
- There is great culinary work happening on college campuses across the nation, many featuring creative burgers and burger builds on dining hall menus. Now, the James Beard Foundation’s Blended Burger Project™ can acknowledge the work, creativity and sustainability these campuses offer.
With the popularity of burgers, these chefs understand that, with so many burgers served, it’s the perfect opportunity to make a significant difference for the health of their students/guests, the health of the planet and the overall flavor of burgers. The Blended Burger Project™ Campus Edition is supported by FoodService Director magazine, which was one of the first to identify this trend. Winners will also have feature articles developed around their entire foodservice approach by FSD.
To participate, add a blended burger to your menu from Labor Day through Dec. 15, 2017, for a chance to win a trip to cook at the historic James Beard House in 2018. Find more details at www.jamesbeard.org/bbpcampus.
This post is sponsored by The James Beard Foundation