Humid temperatures didn’t keep people away from the second annual Old Towne Burger Fest in Orange. The pop-up burger competition, held Saturday, Sept. 12, drew scores of burger aficionados to Chapman Crafted, where five local vendors battled for bragging rights — and one walked away with the title for the second consecutive year.
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Banger Lumpia’s Mike Obedoza defended his crown, winning over a panel of judges (full disclosure, myself included), in a blind taste test, with a lumpia-themed burger that won him top honors like at the inaugural event.
“It’s better than I imagined,” said Obedoza shortly after his name was announced. “I came in this to win. I made my food out of love.”
For Obedoza, the win also carried cultural heft. “For me, also, being Filipino America, this is very important, to represent my culture, where I come from, my culinary story,” he said. “I couldn’t be any more grateful.”
Obedoza said last year’s victory gave him opportunities like invitations at larger Los Angeles food events during Filipino American History Month. “Being O.C., that’s a big deal for me, too , because now we’re good enough to hang with the Los Angeles crowd,” he said. “I 100 percent believe it was all because of this event.”
For Old Towne Burger Fest founder Cesar Cortez, the chef-owner behind El Brewjo Burgers, getting to Saturday was almost as challenging as choosing the competitors.
“This has been the most stressful year for sure,” said Cortez, noting that last year’s long ordering and food lines were among the problems he fixed for the festival’s sophomore outing. “We wanted to structure it, make it really streamlined.”
This year’s field featured returning competitors Banger Lumpia and Jolly Burger, along with The Burger Ghoul, AGL’s Craft Meats and Posse California.
“Everyone’s doing something unique, and I just really wanted to showcase their talents,” Cortez said. “I’m just trying to put a name on Old Towne. I live here. I’m from here. I want to create a community event for all the locals here and highlight some of the amazing talent that we have across Orange County.”
Judges scored the burgers on more than whether they simply tasted good.
Sarah Mosqueda, a TimesOC staff writer who covers food, art and culture, said creativity proved especially important in a country already awash in burgers.
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“Every restaurant in America probably has some sort of burger on their menu,” said Mosqueda. “Being able to create a burger that stands out from the sea of burgers that are available in Orange County is, I think, a challenging feat.”
Gab Chabrán, food and culture writer at LAist, said the entries showed “the sort of diversity” now found in Southern California’s burger scene. “You really see that stand out in some of the top performers,” he said. “They’re representing part of themselves using the burger format, but they’re still using that to execute on a high level, culinary speaking.”
A burger by Smash Burgers at the 2nd Annual Old Towne Burger Fest in Orange on Saturday, September 12, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
A freshly made burger by AGL’s Craft Meats at the 2nd Annual Old Towne Burger Fest in Orange on Saturday, September 12, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Pablo Romero-Estevez evaluates a burger during judging for the Best Burger at the 2nd Annual Old Towne Burger Fest in Orange on Saturday, September 12, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Jolly Dinh, co-owner of Jolly Burger, cooks up burgers at the 2nd Annual Old Towne Burger Fest in Orange on Saturday, September 12, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Jolly Burgers ready for tasting at the 2nd Annual Old Towne Burger Fest in Orange on Saturday, September 12, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Jason Triail, senior director of culinary innovation and executive chef at Habit Burger & Grill, judged everything from aroma to structural integrity.
“I’m always looking for that creativity. I’m looking for texture,” said Triail. “Presentation, before you take that bite, how does it smell? What does it look like? I look at everything. I look at the build, that structure in a burger.”
Other judges included Lily Rice of OC Feed, Brandy Romero of There’s No Place Like Orange and Pablo Romero-Estevez of Deeper Issues Nerdcast and retro video store DINC Video.
While Obedoza took the judge’s top prize, the crowd reached a split decision: Posse California and The Burger Ghoul tied for the People’s Choice award.
“My partner and I have been chefs for 10 years,” said Posse California’s Jonny Quispe. “Burgers are not the only thing we do. We also do pizzas. We have a food-fire oven trailer. We also do private-chef things. We do fresh pastas. We do a lot.”
For Cortez, Saturday offered proof that the county’s independent burger scene — refreshingly devoid of private equity’s ruinous palate — can draw a crowd. And for Obedoza, who arrived prepared to hand over his crown, there was ultimately no hand off.
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