Redwood Shores, CA – With the rise of the plant-forward movement, the classic burger is undergoing a makeover to meet consumers’ needs. Want to have your burger and eat it, too? The “blended burger” is a plant-forward approach that blends finely chopped mushrooms into the ground meat patty for less fat and sodium, more nutrition and all the flavor.
For the first time ever, blended burgers are now available on restaurant menus in all 50 states. Through July 31, as part of the James Beard Foundation’s Blended Burger Project™, customers can find blended burgers served at more than 400 restaurants across the country.
Each participating restaurant – from Boba in Lewiston, Maine, down to LaMuse Café in Miami, Florida, across to Pikoh in Los Angeles, California, and up to Le Coin in Seattle – is serving their own version of a blended burger using the simple technique of blending mushrooms with any ground protein in at least a 25/75 ratio of mushrooms to protein.
“The fact that restaurants in every corner of the country are serving blended burgers proves the trend is taking hold,” said Bart Minor, president and CEO of the Mushroom Council. “We’re thrilled to have restaurants serving blended burgers in all 50 states. This summer, it’s easier than ever to find a blended burger near you.”
To take part in the Blended Burger Project, burger fans can:
- Visit a participating restaurant near them: https://www.jamesbeard.org/blendedburgerproject/participants.
- Vote for their favorite burger at: https://www.jamesbeard.org/blendedburgerproject/vote.
- Once votes are collected, a panel of judges will review the top 25 vote recipients, selecting five who will each receive $5,000 and have the opportunity to serve their winning burger at a Blended Burger Project celebration this October at the James Beard House in New York City.
Learn more at jamesbeard.org/blendedburgerproject.
To make a blended burger at home, visit blenditarian.com.
About the Mushroom Council:
The Mushroom Council is composed of fresh market producers or importers who average more than 50,000 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.
