Ira Mowman of Louisville took home the title of 2025 Derby Burger Champion after an intense cook-off at the Kroger Middletown location. Mowman entered the competition for the past three years and finally took the win in 2025. His recipe for his Kentucky Fiesta Cheese Burger was declared the winner between the top four finalists. Mowman’s burger is stacked with Kentucky Cattlemen’s Ground Beef, pico, avocado spread, chihuahua cheese, romaine blend, Dan-O’s chipotle seasoning, rosemary, and sea salt. Per a press release, Mowman has already been receiving requests from family and friends for him to make his winning recipe, which he says was inspired by his 18-year-old daughter, Riniah.
“She is my heart… she takes after me and loves to cook herself. For this year’s burger, she gave me ideas and encouraged me to think outside the box,” he said in the release. “I tried not to do your regular burger. I wanted to do something different.” Mowman credits his mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother for fueling his passion for cooking. “As my mother tells the story, my love for cooking started when I was 3 or 4 years old. My first experience cooking was making biscuits.”
According to records, nearly 13,000 burger fans voted online to help pick the top four finalists. At the final cook-off, a panel of judges determined the overall winner based on points accumulated from four factors – Taste, Appearance, Creativity and Ease of Preparation. Per the rules of the competition, all burgers were made of 100% Kentucky Cattlemen’s Ground Beef and had to include Dan-O’s Seasoning and greens from 80 Acres Farms in their recipe.
Other finalists included: 2nd place – Steve Rossell of Louisville with The Cowboy; 3rd place – Bette Niemi of Louisville with the Perfect Peppery Prosciutto Burger; and 4th place – Greg Yopp of La Grange, Ky., with the Brielicious Burger.
Mowman’s winning Derby Burger recipe will be featured at Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville on the Waterfront, held April 24 through May 2, as well as inside Kroger stores. He also receives a 2025 Official Derby Festival Poster, two VIP tickets to the Thunder Over Louisville VIP Rooftop Party, two VIP tickets to Republic Bank BourbonVille, a $100 gift certificate to Kroger, a grilling prize package courtesy of the Kentucky Beef Council, which includes a grill, a prize package from Dan-O’s Seasoning, and an 80 Acres Farm swag pack. More information about the Derby Burger Challenge and past winners can be found online at www.kdf.org/beef.
The 13th annual Derby Burger Challenge was sponsored by 80 Acres Farms, Dan-O’s Seasoning, Kentucky Beef Council, and Kroger. Information was provided by the Kentucky Derby Festival Press Office.
This article appears in Feb 28 – Mar 6, 2025.