A social media personality known for deadpan reactions to viral cooking videos has a new title in Detroit: ballpark chef. Chef Reactions has teamed up with the Detroit Tigers and concessions operator Delaware North to launch the Balkan Smash Burger, a limited-time item now on sale at Comerica Park through August 30, with proceeds benefiting Meals on Wheels.
The burger features two smashed beef patties, kajmak — a creamy, cheesy spread — onions, and a roasted red pepper and eggplant spread with a little heat, better known as ajvar. It comes with fries and costs $16.75, according to The Detroit News, which reported that Chef Reactions developed the item himself. Comerica Park visitors can find it at three locations: the Fairway Market in Section 148, the Beer Hall in Section 113, and the Corner Tap Room in Section 115.
“I'm bringing the Balkans to the ballpark,” Chef Reactions said of the creation, per The Detroit News. The dish borrows heavily from pljeskavica, the traditional Balkan burger made of ground meat patties customarily served inside lepinja flatbread with kajmak and ajvar — a dish the Detroit Metro Times has traced through Metro Detroit spots like Hamtramck's Balkan House.
A TikTok Star's Detroit Pipeline
Chef Reactions doesn't publicly share his real name, but he's built a massive following through sarcastic commentary reviewing viral cooking clips. As of July 2025, he had more than 3.7 million TikTok followers, 2 million on Instagram, over 105 million total TikTok likes, and one million Facebook followers, according to The Economic Times.
His connection to Detroit traces back to July 2025, when Major League Baseball invited him to select an official team allegiance during All-Star festivities. He picked the Tigers and announced he was relocating to Detroit to dig into its food scene, the outlet reported. That fandom has stuck: he's now described as a big Tigers fan, though at the team's home opener in April, he told The Detroit News he's actually a big Detroit Red Wings fan.
The relationship between Chef Reactions and Major League Baseball has continued to deepen since his relocation announcement. Trading card maker Topps featured him in its 2025 Allen & Ginter set, issuing an official Tigers-branded non-baseball card with autographed inserts — a sign of how thoroughly he's been folded into the league's marketing alongside actual players.
Proceeds Head to Meals on Wheels
Money from Balkan Smash Burger sales will benefit Meals on Wheels, continuing a pattern in Chef Reactions' charity work. He previously partnered with kitchenware brand Hedley & Bennett on a custom chef hat and apron, with proceeds also going to Meals on Wheels America — a cause he selected in part because of his role as caregiver for his 90-year-old grandmother, according to Hedley & Bennett. Meals on Wheels delivers meals and wellness checks to more than 2.4 million seniors nationwide each year.
Timed to a Big Home Stand
The burger's run lines up with a six-game Comerica Park home stand from August 24 through August 30, featuring three games against the Tampa Bay Rays followed by three against the Los Angeles Dodgers. It also fits into a broader concession strategy the Tigers and Delaware North have leaned into for 2026, which includes Heritage Night items like Gyro Sliders for Greek Heritage Night and Hamtramck Sandwiches for Polish Heritage Night.
The culturally specific menu additions make sense given the region's demographics. Metro Detroit is home to one of North America's largest Balkan and Albanian diaspora populations, with an estimated 60,000 to 80,000 Albanian Americans living across Wayne, Macomb, and Oakland counties as of 2026, according to ALB Connection. Balkan food spots and bakeries are especially concentrated in suburbs like Sterling Heights and Hamtramck.
Comerica Park's food program under Delaware North has long integrated local Detroit restaurant brands into its concourse concessions, including Slows Bar BQ, Green Dot Stables, and Breadless, according to DBusiness Magazine. The Balkan Smash Burger extends that approach by pairing a viral internet personality's specific culinary vision with a dish rooted in the region's own immigrant communities, giving fans one more reason to grab a bite between innings before the promotion wraps up on August 30.
