Ten San Antonio chefs will square off Friday night with slider-sized burger creations at Cherrity Bar, each one built from Texas-raised Wagyu beef and aimed at raising money for a local addiction recovery nonprofit. Burger Showdown 7.0 kicks off at 6:30 p.m. on October 16 at the Near East Side venue, with proceeds benefiting SerenityStar Recovery, a Bexar County organization that provides a safe, sober and spiritual environment for families recovering from addiction.
The competition began as something far less formal: friendly culinary banter among local chefs on Facebook that eventually snowballed into an annual showdown, according to Flicks and Food. Seven years later, it has grown into a major grassroots platform for San Antonio's independent culinary talent, with food writer and producer Kimberly Suta still at the helm of an event that now draws some of the city's most inventive kitchens. This year's lineup includes ten competing chefs, each serving up their own take on the slider format for guests to sample, according to KENS 5, which featured Great Day SA preparing its own Fun Guy Burger ahead of the event.
Wild Flavor Combinations Push Slider Format to Its Limits
Chefs aren't holding back on creativity this year. Chef Joseph Casanova is bringing his Mark of the Beast, a cold-smoked blend of bison, venison, boar and bacon, while Chef Phillip Gonyea is serving a Big Red Yokozuna Burger that nods to San Antonio's classic barbacoa-and-Big-Red tradition, according to Flicks and Food. Chefs are encouraged to push culinary boundaries within the slider-sized format, resulting in menu items that read more like culinary dares than typical bar food.
Judging duties this year include Chef Kaius Austin-Bey, a two-time People's Choice winner from past Burger Showdowns who is serving on the judging panel for the first time, alongside local media personalities including TV host David Elder, per Flicks and Food.
Judges will help select the event's official awards, while attendees cast votes of their own for the People's Choice title.
Texas Wagyu Fuels the Competition
HeartBrand Beef is among the event's supporters. Beyond the ten competing sliders, attendees will also get French fries prepared by Chef Diana Anderson, known locally as the Modern Chili Queen, along with cookies from sponsor Lily's Cookies, according to listings compiled by Do210. Drinks will be available for purchase directly from the bar.
Charity Built Into the Venue's DNA
Cherrity Bar, located at 302 Montana St. near St. Paul Square, was founded in 2018 by real estate investor David Malley and operates under a philanthropic model where customer token votes tied to food and drink purchases direct the bar's monthly proceeds to local nonprofits, according to the San Antonio Report. Its philanthropic model supports community organizations, and it sits in a stretch of the Near East Side near the Alamodome that has steadily attracted independent dining and nightlife concepts. Hoodline previously covered a one-night St. Paul Square Dinner Club dinner at the same venue featuring chef James Canter.
Where the Money Goes This Year
SerenityStar Recovery's program is open to anyone struggling with addiction, not just people working in the culinary or hospitality industry, per the KENS 5 report.
