The New York Beef Council partnered with the New York State Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NYSRAEF) and New York/Vermont ProStart to sponsor a first-ever in-person Gourmet Burger Battle at the NYSRAEF ProStart Invitational held at the CIA Hyde Park. Both NYBC and NYSRAEF worked together to create a virtual battle in 2021 and this year, it was more important than ever to get everyone back “into the kitchen”.   In March, students from New York and Vermont ProStart were tasked with creating a mind-blowing burger that showcased beef or veal as the main ingredient! Students needed to include the burger recipe, a photo of the finished burger, and then cook off their burger at the annual competition showcasing the steps to bring all the components together. Included in the sponsorship were two virtual beef experiences supported by NYBC and a workshop presentation to prepare for the burger battle. The first virtual beef experience was a farm tour in October.  NYBC virtually brought students to Lucky 13 Farm, owned, and operated by Erin Hull of Tully, NY.  Guided by Erin, students via Zoom, were shown handling facilities, and feed rations and learned about documentation practices, how Erin practices environmental sustainability, and how she follows Beef Quality Assurance practices on her farm. The second virtual experience was with NYBC.  Students had the opportunity to see how hot dogs were made at the Smith Packing plant in Utica, NY.  Eric Smith, CEO of Smith Packing guided students through a virtual tour from a box of beef to the finished hot dog!  Jean O’Toole, Executive Director of NYBC, facilitated the Zoom tours and stated she was impressed with the engagement and questions asked during the tours.  O’Toole went on to mention she was equally impressed with the burger submissions from students saying, “All the burgers looked amazing and delicious! We look forward to this burger battle becoming a standard entry in future NYSRAEF competitions!”   The top 3 2022 Burger Battle Winners: 3rd place: Ana Fleming, from Burlington Technical Center with her “Fusion Burger”, 2nd place: Blake Schlegel from Carrier Educational Center with his “Mac and Cheeseburger, and the 1st place winner was Luke Van Marter Brown with his amazing “Oye Vey” Burger. All burgers and recipes can be found on the New York Beef Council website: https://www.nybeef.org/recipes