Posted by The Patriot, IL on December 17, 2009 at 14:22:35:
NL resident's burger hot hit with judges
Smyth's spicy creation wins second place in competition
by Amanda Battaglia
While eating jalapenos as a side with his burger one day, 12-year-old Mike Smyth Jr. decided to get creative. He added the jalapenos, cream cheese and bacon to his burger, and the next thing he knew, the New Lenox resident won second place in Red Robin's Kid's Cook-off.
"I was really excited because all the judges liked my burger and I got that far," Smyth said.
Out of the more than 11,000 entries from kids 6-12 years old, Smyth's gourmet Bacon Hot Popper Burger was one of 10 final burgers chosen by Red Robin restaurants across the country. The finalists traveled to Denver, Colo. on Dec. 3 to re-create their burgers for a panel of six judges, including Robin Miller, the host of "Quick Fix Meals" on the Food Network.
The burgers were judged based on recipe, overall presentation, and a 100-word essay as to why contestants thought their burger should win. While enticing the judges by wafting the smell of his burger toward them, Smyth told judges that his burger was unique since it had the taste of an appetizer.
"Jalapeno poppers are the most ordered appetizer and if you put them on a burger, it's really good," Smyth said he told judges at the finals. "And I added bacon because everything is better with bacon."
Jamie Winter, communications manager for Red Robin, said the judges enjoyed Smyth's burger.
"Mike's burger was really great," she said. "The judges enjoyed his burger and thought he did a good job inventing it to fit with the Red Robin brand."
Although Smyth came in second, he won many prizes, including an iPod Nano, a $150 Visa card and a $100 Red Robin gift card. The recipe for his burger will also appear in the 2010 Red Robin Cookbook, which will be available on Red Robin's Web site.
Smyth said the inspiration for his burger came from his love for spicy foods, as he and his father grow peppers in their garden. When he saw the sign for the contest one day in the Red Robin restaurant in Orland Park, he was confident in his chances of winning.
"I thought I had a pretty good chance of getting to the finals because I thought my burger was really unique and that a lot of people would like it," Smyth said.
New Lenox residents will have the opportunity to enjoy Smyth's burger, as Charleston's Bar and Grill, 2101 Calistoga Drive, will feature it for the next few weeks.
"Mikey said 'I wonder if the burger sells really well if they will keep it on the menu,'" Smyth's mother Kim Smyth said. Kim added that she was very proud of her son, and that he takes after his father, Mike Smith Sr., by cooking and experimenting with new recipes.
As a seventh-grader at Liberty Junior High, Smyth said his burger has brought him recognition from peers.
"Every time I walk down the hall everyone says that they heard me on the radio and saw me in the newspapers," Smyth said.
Career plans for Smyth include joining the military and attending college for cooking and mechanical engineering. He said he would like to thank Red Robin for sending him on the trip to Colorado and his family for helping him while he was in the contest.
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