Buffalo Wing Burger ‘sizzles’ at national festival

Story and photo by Brian Kahle, Magic Marketing
August 17, 2006

The award-winning Buffalo Wing Burger.

Created by Bill Jacobbi of the Park Avenue Grille in Hamburg, the Buffalo favorite known as the Buffalo Wing Burger has also won over the hearts and taste buds of judges at the National Hamburger Festival in Akron, Ohio.

The Buffalo Wing Burger won first prize in the category of “Most Creative Topping” and second prize for “Best Cheeseburger” at last weekend’s event.

Jacobbi’s recipe, which was a big hit at this summer’s “Taste of Buffalo” and the Hamburg “Burger Fest,” competed with restaurants from around the country at the National Hamburger Festival.

Jacobbi, whose restaurant is located at 4572 Clark St., says his Buffalo Wing Burger is made special by the Buffalo wing hot sauce flavoring of the cheese he uses to top the burger, along with the special blue cheese dressing he adds. It recently became part of the restaurant’s regular menu.

In the meantime, those anticipating the long-awaited answer to the question, “Who invented the hamburger?” have found themselves in a “pickle” after a four-judge panel deadlocked during the festival’s “Hamburger Hearings.”

Festival founder Drew Cerza of Clarence says the deadlock will be broken by hamburger lovers, who can vote online at www.hamburgerfestival.com for one of the four cities laying claim to creation of America’s first burger.

One of those claims comes from the Menches family of Akron, who insist their ancestors did it in Hamburg back in 1885.