Hamburger Festival highlights on national TV
City of Akron press release
It's no secret that Americans are obsessed with food, and the Food Network has helped us look at food in a unique way over the years. It has created a subculture of so-called "foodies" intrigued by the diversity of regional foods and various styles in which they are prepared.
The Food Network will feature the National Hamburger Festival on Monday April 23rd at 9pm as part of its hit show "Unwrapped" featuring, The Hamburger.
"Without a doubt, hamburgers are America's favorite food", said Drew Cerza, founder of the National Hamburger Festival. His love of the regional delicacy inspired him to start the first annual National Hamburger Festival in Akron last summer. He chose Akron because of the overwhelming supply of quality hamburger eateries in Northeast Ohio. Cerza has coined Northeast Ohio as the "Hamburger Capital of the World".
Legend has it that the Menches Brothers from Akron were the true inventors of the hamburger back in 1885. The story goes that Charles and Frank Menches---working as traveling concessionaires--- came up with the invention at the old Hamburg Fair in Western New York when they ran out of pork to serve as sandwiches. The only product they could get the next day was ground beef, which they mixed with a combination of molasses, coffee and other ingredients and put between the two pieces of bread to create the original hamburger.
Three other stories are documented in history including claims from Seymour, Wisconsin, New Haven, Connecticut and Athens, Texas. At the festival, the first ever "Hamburger Hearings were held as a 45 minute mock-trial where all four cities were given the opportunity to state their claim on the invention of the hamburger. At the end of the "testimony", a jury of four was deadlocked; the judge declared a hung jury. So, a national on-line vote ensued and Seymour, WI won the honor with the Menches Brothers of Akron, Ohio finishing a close second.
Fifteen local and national eateries set up at the event to sample their various styles of burgers. There were more than 20,000 visitors to the first year event that include various contests. The Ohio Hamburger Eating Championship was won by Greater Akron's own David "Coondog" O'Karma. There was also the baby burger contest, Miss Hamburger contest, and an amateur burger cook-off.
Last year's festival raised $5,000 for Akron Children's Hospital. This year's will be held at Lock 3 in Downtown Akron on July 21st and 22nd, and the highlight will be the building of the World's Largest Hamburger.
Other big news includes the Archies Comic Book's July issue featuring Jughead visiting the National Hamburger Festival. Copies of the comic book will be available at the Event.
More information is available at http://www.hamburgerfestival.com/
