The Envelope, Please: The Winning Glamburger

By Bill Citara Fri., Jul. 2 2010 at 6:00 AM

Categories: Restaurant News

Three of The Cheesecake Factory's new "Glamburgers"

After some 30,000 submissions and more than 63,000 votes, the winning "Glamburger" hamburger in the Cheesecake Factory's "Great Glamburger Challenge" not only doesn't contain any ham; it isn't even made of meat.

Oh, the horror.

Yes, the designer burger chosen from among five finalists in the 3-month-long contest is composed mainly of...
mushrooms. Crimini, shiitake, and portobello mushrooms, to be exact, along with caramelized onions, red pepper, Swiss and Gruyère cheeses, and demiglace.

It's the creation of university planner Thomas Skaggs of Champaign, Illinois, who has probably popped a few bottles of bubbly by now celebrating the fruits of his victory: placement of his Wild Mushroom Burger on all the country's Cheesecake Factory menus for a year (joining six of the chain's own new Glamburgers), the choice of a swell vacation in five (fairly) glamourous spots, and his very own 15 minutes (more like 15 seconds) of fame.

And what message does the triumph of Skaggs' Wild Mushroom Burger send to the millions of Americans who believe a good and true hamburger can consist only of ground beef?

Eat shiitake, carnivores!