For National Burger Month Culinary Fight Club, a partner in the production of Stove Tots, a new FYI network cooking television series slated to premiere in 2017, hosts its 2017 Blended Burger Challenge in nine cities. The popular food sport event series partners with the Mushroom Council for its Blended Burger Challenge.

The Blend is an emerging culinary trend that features the blending of at finely chopped mushrooms with ground meat for meals that are more delicious, nutritious and sustainable. Each blend must include at least 25 percent finely chopped mushrooms with meat.

Participating restaurants and chefs will sell the burger they create for Culinary Fight Club in their restaurants beginning Memorial Day (May 29) and continuing through July 31.

“We’re honored to partner with the Mushroom Council as part of the James Beard Foundation’s Blended Burger Project to create the Blended Burger Challenge,” says Culinary Fight Club founder, Jiwon McCartney. “We’re excited to see how competing chefs create a blended burger in under 60 minutes.”

Professional chefs and home cooks can compete at any of the nine competitions for a chance to win a golden ticket to compete at the World Food Championships. Competitors will use Bull Outdoor Grills to create their best blended burger.

The Blended Burger Battle Schedule:

Atlanta, Ga. (May 4)
Montgomery, Ala. (May 8)
New Orleans, La. (May 10)
Indianapolis, Ind. (May 15)
Johnson City, Tenn. (May 16)
Charlotte, N.C. (May 22)
Virginia Beach, Va. (May 24)
Los Angeles, Calif. (May 25)
Chicago, Ill. (May 29)

Culinary Fight Club competitions take place in Chicago, Omaha, New Orleans, Cincinnati, Boston, Knoxville, Johnson City, Pittsburgh, Virginia Beach, Charlotte, Twin Cities, Kansas City, Montgomery, Charlotte, Charleston, Indianapolis, Atlanta and Los Angeles! The pantry sponsored by Reinhart Foodservice and the Mushroom Council provides fresh ingredients that allow the competitors the opportunity to battle for the best dish.