Burger Bash takes over South Beach Wine and Food Festival (includes video story)

The South Beach Wine and Food Festival and Florida International University’s hospitality school kicked off Thursday with Burger Bash, hosted by legendary chef Rachel Ray. 

Twenty two vendors, including Ted’s Burgers, Apocalypse BBQ, and The Food Truck Store, battled for the title of best.

Adrian Sanchez, chef at Pincho Burger and Kebab’s, spoke about what makes a good burger.

“You’re going to start with a 75 lean beef and 25 fat burger blend, ” said Sanchez. “Cook it on a flat top, nice medium temperature, don’t go more than four ingredients. Cheese, pickles, grilled onions, and mustard are my favorite. As simple as it can get. Once you get more than four toppings, it gets complicated.” 

The event included celebrity judges Charlie Day, Yung Gravy, Glenn Howerton, Trina Robinson, Rev Run, Enrique Santos and Kate Upton. 

The winners was Cowy burger,  a pop-up that has over 10 locations in Miami. The People’s Choice award went to Pincho for its Jalapeño Delight burger. Each took home $2,500 and bragging rights. 

Not only did the event have savory burgers, but also sweet treats like ice cream from Salt and Straw, milkshakes from Florida Dairy Farmers, scoops of ice cream with guava sauce from Cry Baby Creamery and fresh treats from Night Owl Cookies.

Foodies can enjoy the event from Feb. 22 to 25 and find tickets online on the website. General admission starts at $300, and all food and drinks are included.

Daniela Zulueta

Daniela Zulueta is pursuing her master’s degree in global strategic communications and graduated from FIU with a bachelor’s degree in digital broadcasting in 2023. She also holds an associate’s degree in journalism from Miami Dade College. Zulueta loves the city of Miami and aims to share the stories of the citizens who live here and all over the world. Zulueta runs a social media platform called @Lifestyle_Miami where she works with local businesses and does community-based work. She had a paid internship with Televisa Univisión as a Step Producer and worked as a stage manager at NBC6 South Florida & Telemundo51. Now, she is part of cohort 8 and has a fellowship at the FIU Ratcliffe where she can work on branding herself and post-production of a podcast called Tech Conversations.

Tyler Law

Tyler Law is an aspiring film producer and senior attending Florida International University. Law launched a lifestyle podcast called "Sharks in the Bay," in which he talks about how one can become their best version. He is majoring in digital communication and media on the digital TV and multimedia production track, and minoring in hospitality studies. He graduates in the summer of 2024.