Santa Barbara real estate developer Scott Wallace will build something a little different this weekend — a juicy burger made out of ground veal and pork, splashed with a special mesquite marinade.
Wallace, president and CEO of Montecito Custom Homes, is competing in the Budweiser Bud and Burgers Championship event at the Stagecoach Music Festival in Indio this weekend.
Stagecoach, billed as “California’s Country Music Festival,” follows on the heels of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in the Indio desert.
The event features a Honky Tonk Dance Hall and musicians such as Tim McGraw and The Band Perry.
It’s also one of 10 events across the country where two chef semifinalists will compete, and the winners will advance to St. Louis in July for a chance at the $100,000 grand prize.
The contest is designed to find the best amateur burger chefs in America.
Wallace, whose favorite television cooking show is The Iron Chef, said he has loved cooking his whole life, and enjoys taking risks with his recipes.
“My burger hosts many different flavors,” Wallace said. “I tried to stay traditional with the basic Cuban sandwich, but stepped it up a notch by introducing applewood smoked ham and pepperjack cheese.”
Wallace said his mother and grandmother were both great cooks who inspired him to dabble in cooking.
“It is so much fun taking random ingredients and creating a masterpiece,” Wallace said. “I will be honest, though, some of my best pieces of work started out as more of a Picasso than a Rembrandt.”
Wallace has lived in Santa Barbara for the past four years. He hopes to meet country singer Blake Shelton, who will perform at the festival, but ultimately he wants a victory.
“I have been passionate about cooking my whole life and finally took this one chance to share my talent,” Wallace said.
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
