The 23rd annual South Beach Wine & Food Festival marked its opening last night, an event always highly anticipated by the gourmand crowd in South Florida. Notably, the evening held the famous Burger Bash, as well as other remarkable events such as A Taste of Italy hosted by Alex Guarnaschelli of Food Network and the Asian Night Market headed by Food Network’s Jet Tila. However, the standout of the festival was the Heinz Burger Bash presented by Schweid & Sons and hosted by Rachael Ray, a fierce and delightful competition where the winning title is a real badge of honor.
This year saw Cowy Burger take home The Very Best Burger Award, determined by a distinguished panel of judges. Cowy Burger operates as a pop-up, available every Friday at Prison Pals Brewing in Doral and every Saturday at J. Wakefield Beer in Wynwood. The plant-based burger award, known as Powered by Plants Award, was snagged by Hate Mondays Tavern, located near the Three Lakes neighborhood in Kendall. Lastly, the Heinz People’s Choice Award was bestowed to Pincho for the third consecutive year, a three-peat that has never been seen in the history of the event.
On their Instagram, Pincho showed immense appreciation for their victory. A post showcased their celebratory mood, thanking their team and everyone who voted for their Jalapeño Delight Burger that led to them clenching the People’s Choice Award. The post read, “We won the PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD!” and continued with praises for their team and fans.
Pincho has received the People’s Choice Award for the third time now with their entry, the Jalapeño Delight, a Schweid & Sons premium burger patty layered with jalapeño jack cheese, jalapeño bacon jam, bacon bits with a hint of jalapeño, and a dash of cilantro jalapeño aioli, and served on a buttery brioche bun.
Click to enlarge Pincho bagged the People’s Choice Award at the 2024 Burger Bash held during the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. Image Courtesy: Pincho
New Times had listed seven of Miami’s finest smash burgers not long ago. However, the title of the Very Best Burger going to Cowy Burger now puts their patty on our must-try list. Their award-winning “Cowy” burger is an amalgamation of an angus beef smash patty, melt-in-your-mouth American cheese, savory bacon jam, grilled onions, topped with their secret cowy sauce (a mayo and herb blend).
The plant-based award was awarded to Hate Mondays Tavern for their burger consisting of dairy-free Violife cheese. Talking about the People’s Choice Award, Motek Café’s Arayes burger was triumphant in 2023. The unforgettable Arayes burger is a heavenly combination of lamb and beef on pita bread, smeared with harissa aioli and tahini. This specific award was no stranger to Motek Café even in 2022.
Further updates to follow.
