An entire week dedicated to the almighty burger? Let’s go.
Starting Sunday, June 21 and running through Sunday, June 28, SoCal Burger Week will honor the Southern California staple with special deals across Los Angeles and, for the first time this year, Orange County.
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The newly rebranded event is an expanded version of Long Beach Burger Week, which will now operate as SoCal Burger Week. Dream Agency organizes the event with support from SoCal Food & Beverage, a California registered nonprofit whose mission is “to help restaurants thrive and grow.”
SoCal Food & Beverage executive director Leysla Rubino witnessed the struggle of being a restaurateur firsthand. Growing up, her family owned a restaurant that closed after a year. “That experience never left me,” she said in a statement. “I worked as a waitress and in the kitchen, and I watched up close just how hard it was to keep the doors open.”
SoCal Burger Week hopes to spotlight both regions’ abundance of burger joints, from sit-down spots to food trucks and pop-ups. As disputed legend has it, the cheeseburger was concocted in Pasadena in 1924 when a 16-year-old Lionel Sternberger added a slice of cheese to a hamburger at his pop’s roadside stand, the Rite Spot.
“We are so stoked and honored to be selected to participate in SoCal Burger Week,” said Cesar Cortez, chef-founder of El Brewjo. “We are all about community and the almighty burger at El Brewjo, so to be able to be a part of something that shines a light on both is a blessing!”
Participating eateries will feature $5, $10, $15, $20 and $25 “one-of-a-kind” burgers. Throughout the week, diners can vote online for their favorite burgers, helping select the Golden Burger Awards with categories like Best Overall Burger, Best Smash Burger and Best French Fries.
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Dozens of burger purveyors will participate, including a bevy of Orange County spots such as Nexx Burger, Bunz Burger, Burt’s Burgers, El Brewjo, Westwood Coast, Small’s Smash Club, Finca, Craft Burger Co., Matty’s Patty’s Burger Club, Point Break and Krazy Kooters.
Los Angeles-area burger spots include Proudly Serving, Astro Burger, Pie ‘N Burger, Oh My Burger and Angel’s Share, among others.
“I’ve been going restaurant to restaurant, talking to chefs, tasting their creations, and trust me, the competition is real and the burgers are unreal,” said Joey “Pickles” Rubino, creative mind behind SoCal Burger Week, in the same release.
SoCal Burger Week is one of three annual events in Orange County dedicated to the hamburger: OC Restaurant Association’s OC Burger Week will return Sept 20 through Sept 26, while Olde Towne Burger Fest, created by El Brewjo’s Cesar Cortez, will return later this year.
Visit SoCalBurgerWeek.com for a full list of participating spots, along with giveaways and other specials happening throughout the week.
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