Big fun on a bun

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/08/2017 (3116 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

On Friday, Sept. 1, Le Burger Week kicks off in Winnipeg for the fifth year, and the annual event has really beefed up its offerings for the 2017 competition.

During the seven-day event, more than 100 local restaurants will create unique burgers — making Winnipeg’s week the largest in all of Canada — which then get voted on by customers, many of whom pack in several of the decadent burgers each day in an attempt to taste as many as they can.

“Winnipeggers, they’ve bought into the burger madness, they have supported it and made it what it is. Winnipeg is a close-knit culinary community that’s very much willing to support one another and people like to hop on events like this,” says Daniel Gurevich of Charcoal Collaborative, a lifestyle blog that acts as the ambassador for Le Burger Week.

The meaty event has continued to grow from year to year since it started in Winnipeg in 2013, almost doubling the number of participating restaurants in the last year alone. This year’s participants range from classic burger locales, such as the Grove, Boon Burger and Market Burger, to more outside of the box contenders, such as Chosabi and Shawarma Khan.  

Gurevich credits the interest to word of mouth and vendors who have really embraced the friendly competition aspect.

“I think the chefs really do enjoy it, it allows them to do something fun and creative for the week, come up with this new burger idea… when the week itself comes, I think that’s when they start to curse my name because it’s extremely busy for them, and I’ve heard some of the numbers of burgers some restaurants send out and it’s insane. I don’t know how they keep up with production,” he says, laughing.

Winners will be chosen in catagories such as “Judges Choice,” “Most Outrageous” and Healthiest Burger,” tabulated from the votes cast on the event’s website, leburgerweek.com.

Given the way Le Burger Week has ballooned in size this year, Gurevich is hesitant to say whether organizers might eventually have to limit the number of competitors.

“I’ll say that the number exceeds expectations this year and we’re always re-evaluating the best way to do the competition in the city,” he says.

“With (burger week) expanding like this, one of our goals is making sure what area of the city you’re in, no matter what type of restaurants you enjoy going to, you’re able to find something that’s for you.

“I know a lot of people say, ‘Oh, you know we liked it when we could go try every restaurant,’ and we do understand that, but you want to make sure that everyone gets to participate, whether you’re in River Heights, Transcona, St. James, doesn’t really matter, you can find a place near you.”

This year, organizers have added a couple of new features; the first is the “Buy a Friend a Burger” initiative, which allows festival attendees to go online, select a burger they wish to give as a gift and, for $1 in addition to the listed price, purchase that burger in advance for a friend. They will then get an emailed voucher that can be used to claim the burger at the restaurant. 

The second is a partnership Le Burger Week has developed with both Just Eat and Skip the Dishes. Yes, the limited-edition burgers can now be delivered to your door. 

“We’re also going to have an interactive burger map on our website so you can basically see a picture (of a burger), scroll over it, and it’ll show you where they’re located in the city,” Gurevich says.

Le Burger Week runs until Sept. 7 at more than 400 restaurants in 11 cities across Canada. More information can be found on leburgerweek.com starting Sept. 1.

erin.lebar@freepress.mb.ca  

Twitter: @NireRabel