Bob and Sandy Layman, owners of The Cellar Restaurant in Owego, will be competing in the Belly Busting Burger Battle at Tioga Downs on July 19, from 1 to 4 p.m.
Tioga Downs, located in Nichols, N.Y., is hosting a burger contest on July 19, from 1 to 4 p.m with the judging happening around 3:45 p.m. The festivities will be held at their trackside apron and tent, where ten local eateries will be competing and testing their delicious burgers against two professional chef judges and the general public.
Tickets are $15 for adults and seven for kids twelve and under, and they include the ability to try all the battle burgers and vote as well as getting one drink, alcoholic, for those over 21, or soda for those under 21. There will be live entertainment from “That 90’s Band” as well as a chance to try food from all sorts of different local places. It benefits the Salvation Army, so you know that your money and time is going to a good cause.
Two executive chefs from Cornell will be the judges but you will also have a chance to judge every juicy bite. There are two potential winning categories for the eateries, the judge’s choice and the people’s choice. The judge’s choice will involve a first place prize of $3,000, second place prize of $2,000, and third place prize of $1,000. The people’s choice will have a first place prize of $300, second place prize of $200, and third place prize of $100. This gives everyone a chance to support both delicious food and the people who make it.
Stephen Donnelly says that if this event goes well it could become an annual competition, which would mean summer grill offs every year for the Southern Tier! He stated, “As most people know, our owner, Jeff Gural, is a generous man. We just thought this would be a great way get people involved to donate to charity, have some fun, and get some of our local businesses some great exposure!”
There are ten eateries total participating in this competition – Broad Street Pub and the Railhouse Restaurant and Tap Room, both in Waverly, N.Y.; the Endless Mountains Bakery and Café and Original Italian Grill, both in Sayre, Pa.; Zona’s & Co Grille and Jrama’s Soulfood Grille and BBQ Pit, both in Binghamton, N.Y.; Beef’s in Horseheads, N.Y.; The Railroad Station Bar and Grill in Nichols, N.Y.; Riverstone Inn in Towanda, Pa.; and The Cellar Restaurant located on Front Street in Owego, N.Y.
Bob Layman from The Cellar Restaurant is not new to food competitions. He has competed in the Finger Lakes Chef Contest and his partner for the burger contest was a student at Delhi; the student was on their cooking competition team. Though this is their first burger contest they are old pros in the competitive cooking field and will certainly make a good show.
Laymen could not say what the recipes were for the burgers but he did give out the two names. The first is the goat cheese pizza burger, a flavorful burger that takes one of their more popular dishes and puts a grilled spin on it. The second burger will be a black truffle burger, something that sounds elegant and will be something new for everyone’s taste buds. Neither of these burgers has ever even been on their menu, but Layman says that if they are received well they could possibly be added to their current menu.
Layman, like Donnelly, views the day as a fun event that everyone can enjoy. He includes himself in the fun and states that it is a day to play where he can do what he loves and people can do what they love. He’s not nervous at all but eager to see how people enjoy his burgers and to give people a chance to try something new and exciting on a food item that everyone’s had at least once in their life.
To learn more about the contest, visit www.tiogadowns.com.
