A sold-out crowd of food lovers flock to South Beach for the 22nd annual Burger Bash. Emeril Lagasse hosts the event among several celebrity chefs.

February 23rd, 2023

by Kevin Willse

South Beach became the epicenter of hamburgers Thursday night for SOBEWFF’s Burger Bash presented by Schweid & Sons®. The 22nd installment of the sizzling event brought out the area’s best food as well as its largest crowd. The event was hosted by the Food Networks own Emeril Lagasse, who was dubbed by judge and fellow network celeb Robert Irvine as “the godfather of the Food Network.” Along with a DJ spinning tunes all night and Grammy-nominated country band Midland rockin’ the house, this was a party unlike any other.

However, one of the main attractions of the event each year really are the celebrity judges. This year’s lineup didn’t disappoint as it provided a diverse list from all over the entertainment spectrum. Celebrity chefs Ming Tsai and Robert Irvine along with local chef Nicole Gates, Barstool Sports’s Dave Portnoy, Netflix’s Phil Rosenthal from the popular food and travel show “Somebody Feed Phil” and Emmy award-winning South Florida journalist Jawan Strader filled the judging table with their own unique food backgrounds. The first award out of more than 30 of the country’s best burger joints was given to local turned national burger chain BurgerFi.

While this year’s event was held on a Thursday, it didn’t keep the crowds from showing up in record attendance. Each person had a chance to vote for their favorite burger out of the dozens of different restaurant stands. After all the votes were tallied, local Lebanese restaurant Motek won this year’s People’s Choice trophy. This is the second year in a row they have won this award. They will try to defend their trophy in next year’s contest, which have already been scheduled for the end of February 2024.