Redwood Shores, CA – The Mushroom Council kicks off National Burger Month with a continued collaboration with Bon Appétit that encourages people to create and enjoy a blended burger in their home kitchens for a chance to win $10,000.
Launching today, the second annual “Blended Burger Project: Home Edition” calls on individuals nationwide to create a custom burger featuring at least 25% finely chopped, fresh mushrooms blended into the burger patty with meat or meat substitutes.
Throughout the competition, Bon Appétit will encourage submissions in its print, online and social channels. Mushroom Council will tap an array of social media influencers to post blended burger inspiration and promote contest participation as well. It also is providing its members with on-pack and in-store promotional materials to raise awareness about the contest among shoppers.
To be eligible for the $10,000 prize, participants can enter through June 30 by submitting their burger recipe, description and image on the dedicated contest page on Bon Appétit’s website. Participants are also encouraged to post images on Instagram with the hashtag #BlendedBurgerContest for a chance to win smaller surprise prizes Mushroom Council will offer throughout the entry phase.
Contest Culminates in Bon Appétit Editor’s Home Kitchen
In July, Bon Appétit and Mushroom Council will select three finalists from the online entrants. Then, Bon Appétit Editor Chris Morocco, from his home kitchen, will put the recipes to the test for taste and usability, speaking to each of the finalists live via video chat to ask questions about their burger creations. After cooking and sampling all three burgers, Morocco will choose the $10,000 grand prize winner. Bon Appétit will then turn the entire process into a finale video to be shared across social and digital channels.
“Now that we are cooking at home more than ever, we hope this competition will create excitement, inspiration and maybe even a little bit of joy in kitchens over the next two months,” Morocco said. “We love mushrooms – for their versatility, health benefits and especially how their flavor and texture make a great dish taste even better. I’m really looking forward to reviewing, cooking and most of all tasting these delicious blended burgers this summer.”
The second Blended Burger Project: Home Edition will once again mirror the popular, perennial Blended Burger Project™ restaurant competition held each summer from 2015-2019, which featured thousands of chefs blending at least 25 percent fresh mushrooms with meat for burgers that are more delicious, nutritious and sustainable.
Full contest rules and entry form are available at: bonappetit.com/blendedburgercontest.
Ready to blend? More blended burger recipe inspiration can be found at blenditarian.com.
About Bon Appétit:
Bon Appétit is where food and culture meet. The award-winning No. 1 food lifestyle brand covers food through the lens of cooking, fashion, travel, technology, design, and home. As the leading arbiter of taste, its home-grown talent and tireless dedication to recipe testing separates it from the competition by miles. Bon Appétit has been named to Advertising Age’s A-List for eight consecutive years, including Magazine of the Year 2013 and 2017, Brand of the Year 2015, and Digital and Video recognition in 2019, and has been named to Adweek’s Hot List every year since 2012, including Hottest Food Magazine in 2013, 2017 and 2018. Bon Appétit has also been nominated for 32 National Magazine Awards in the past six years, including wins in 2014 for General Excellence and Photography, in 2017 for General Excellence, and in 2019 for Social Media. For more, visit www.bonappetit.com.
About the Mushroom Council:
The Mushroom Council is composed of fresh market producers or importers who average more than 500,000 pounds of mushrooms produced or imported annually. The mushroom program is authorized by the Mushroom Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act of 1990 and is administered by the Mushroom Council under the supervision of the Agricultural Marketing Service. Research and promotion programs help to expand, maintain and develop markets for individual agricultural commodities in the United States and abroad. These industry self-help programs are requested and funded by the industry groups that they serve. For more information, visit mushroomcouncil.com.
