Shafted

Wylie Dufresne Didn’t Even Place at the Burger Bloodbath

Wylie Dufresne's burger didn't contain peanut butter and banana, but we wouldn't put it past him.
Wylie Dufresne’s burger didn’t contain peanut butter and banana, but we wouldn’t put it past him. Photo: Melissa Hom

Last week, Wylie Dufresne spoke to Grub Street about “not losing … for once” at this past weekend’s Burger Bloodbath, and his patty ground with seaweed and milk powder, topped with oozing homemade American cheese. However, despite the over-the-top deliciousness of said specimen, a standout (in our opinion) among the eight contenders, Dufresne failed to even place in the top three chosen by judges Kate Krader, Pat LaFrieda, Marc Murphy, and Lee Schraeger.

Rather, financier Mo Koyfman, a two-time past winner, took first prize — and a slot at the upcoming New York Wine & Food Festival Burger Bash — with his classic lettuce-, tomato-, pickle- and special-sauce-topped burger. (“I’m retiring now that I finally have a trophy,” he said, hefting the bronzed, hamburger-topped chunk of metal that was his prize.) Baltz & Co.’s Jesse Gerstein took second, and past winner Zach Chodorow, who partnered with Niko’s Cobi Levy, came in third. Despite Dufresne’s failure to place, we heard a rumor he might bring his remarkable burger to the Burger Bash, so … fingers crossed for that.

Wylie Dufresne Didn’t Even Place at the Burger Bloodbath