Battle of the Beef

10 San Antonio chefs battle it out in fan-voted Burger Showdown

San Antonio Burger Showdown contestant entry

This burger from 2023 even looks fancy.

Photo by David L. Peché

Restaurants around San Antonio can claim to have the best burger, but nothing beats getting them all side-by-side for some science — or, uh, fan voting. Burger-lovers will get together at Burger Showdown 5.0 and choose their favorite sandwich from 10 chefs, each representing a different restaurant.

This effort was organized by online culinary series Homegrown Chef in partnership with the Flavors of Texas, a unique restaurant recommendations platform by the popular San Antonio Restaurants group on Facebook. The 10 competitors will gather at Alamo Beer on October 18, from 7-10 pm. It'll benefit Gardopia Gardens, a local nonprofit that educates on nutrition and sustainability through gardening.

This is the fifth annual event, and some past winners are returning to add to their laurels. To keep tastings manageable, they will be cooking sliders, some featuring sponsor ingredients that haven't been announced yet. For a break from the beef, Krazy Katsu will be there slinging kimchi fries, and Texas Cookie Shop will handle dessert.

San Antonio Burger Showdown contestant entry Looks like this entry used rajas for a Mexican twist.Photo by David L. Peché

Participating chefs are:

Diana Anderson of JD's Chili Parlor
Justin Bluhm of STXBBQ (Won Judge's Choice Best Burger in 2023)
Jared Cattoni of Dos Sirenos Brewing
Chef Phillip Gonyea of the popular Krazy Katsu [Update: new addition]
Brandon Peterson of Smash'd
Kaius of The Chef Kaius Xperience (Won People's Choice Best Burger in 2023)
Joseph Thadeus Martinez of Tributary (Won 2nd Place Best Burger in both categories in 2023)
Chef Andres Farias of Cavalier at the InterContinental Riverwalk Hotel
James Richard Smith of toohotfortabc
Chef Joe Rodriguez with Black Board Bar-B-Q [Update: new addition]
~~Gabe Cardenas of Built For Burgers (Cruising Kitchens)~~ [Update: dropped out]
~~Adrian Davila of Davila's BBQ~~ [Update: dropped out]
~~Brian Randolph of Dorrego's at Hotel Valencia~~ [Update: dropped out]

Chefs have not shared yet how they'll be dressing their burgers, but previous years have proved the only limit is the imagination. Past burgers have included pineapple rings, chorizo-marinated patties, an entire slice of brisket, fried cheese crisps, and much more.

San Antonio Burger Showdown contestant entry These are sliders, but with all these garnishes they'll add up to a huge feast.Photo by David L. Peché

For burger snobs, it won't just be fans deciding who brings home the bacon. A panel of judges — Alan Williams of Flavors of Texas, plus influencers San Antonio Stephanie and Joe The Lost Local — will also be putting in their two cents.

If any of these burgers have you ready to sing love songs, Alamo Beer will be hosting Irish Cowboy Productions Karaoke later in the night.

"I can't believe this is our 5th annual Burger Showdown," says Kimberly Suta, the creator of Homegrown Chef and a local food writer, in an email to CultureMap. "We're just so happy to be partnering with The Flavors of Texas (San Antonio Restaurants Group) this year and showcasing the talents of such incredible chefs who are so passionate about creating the best burger and, let me tell you, these will be some of the best burgers you'll ever eat!"

Tickets ($60) are available at theflavorsoftexas.com. An early bird discount gets attendees $5 (for a total of $55) until September 15. VIP tickets ($100) are also available, and include 30 minutes of early access at the event, a drink ticket, and a plant from Gardopia Gardens. Drinks are available for purchase for any ticket tier.

burgers bests competition chefs

NYT loves AUS

Pastry chef from San Antonio makes New York Times Best Bakeries list

Comadre Panadería/Instagram

Comadre Panadería is known for nostalgic Mexican bakes with feminine flair.

The New York Times has once again shined its spotlight on Austin’s culinary scene. It included Comadre Panadería, an Austin bakery by San Antonio native Mariela Camacho, on its new list of the 22 of the Best Bakeries Across the U.S. Right Now.

Interim food critic Priya Krishna praises pastry chef Camacho’s pastries that include conchas and her signature pink cake. “Despite their saccharine appearances, not one of the desserts is overly cloying, and even the coffee drinks (Texas pecan horchata! Cranberry vanilla agua fresca!) strike the playful tone of the pastries,” she writes.

Comadre Panadería has been widely recognized, including by this publication; Camacho, who is now based in Ausitn, won Pastry Chef of the Year in the 2023 CultureMap Austin Tastemaker Awards. She also earned a 2024 James Beard Award semifinalist nomination for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker.

Camacho and Comadre as a whole are both invested in using baked goods to make a more equitable world, from the bakery's early days as a fundraiser for disaster relief, to a current insistence on charging enough to support ethical and organic foods, and paying staff enough to keep up with rising costs in Austin.

Although Camacho was born in San Antonio and started her baking career there, she also spent a significant time in Seattle, Washington, where Comadre started as a pop-up. According to Austin Monthly, she then moved back to San Antonio, and then to Austin. But no matter where she is, the Mexican cooking traditions of her ancestors take precedent.

Mariela Camacho of Comadre Panaderia in Austin Mariela Camacho, Comadre Panaderia. Courtesy photo

The Times also recognized Houston's Koffeteria. Krishna hails the bakery for pastry chef-owner Vanarin Kuch’s creative fare that includes dishes such as beef pho kolaches, Chinese sausage breakfast tacos, and butter mochi.

“Some of Mr. Kuch’s offerings are rooted in his Cambodian American identity — he makes cornbread with the coconutty, scallion-forward flavors of Cambodian street corn — while others are odes to Houston’s multicultural makeup. But most of the fun of Koffeteria is having no idea what Mr. Kuch will do next, and eagerly awaiting his next innovation,” Krishna writes.

Open since 2019, Koffeteria has been riding high this year. It earned a James Beard Award semifinalist nomination for Outstanding Bakery and a CultureMap Houston Tastemaker Award for Pastry Chef of the Year.

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Comadre Panadería and Koffeteria are the only Texas establishments to make the Times’ list. Only California and New York City, which each have three representatives, earn more recognition.

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