It’s a well-known fact that fare such as crawfish, gumbo and jambalaya have long been Louisiana’s most renowned dishes.  Well, it’s time to add hamburgers to the list.  George Graham of Lafayette, and a native of Bogalusa, will be putting his “Bluesiana Burger” to the ultimate test this week on the Food Network Challenge television series, airing on Saturday at 1 p.m. and Sunday, 6 p.m.

One of only a handful of amateur cooks selected from 9,000 entries, Graham will be featured on the series as a finalist in one of the nation’s largest cooking contests, the “Build A Better Burger” competition sponsored by Sutter Home winery.

After six months of recipe development and plenty of trial tastings by friends and family, Graham submitted his “Bluesiana Burger with Zydeco Sauce, Mardi Gras Slaw and Root Beer Glaze” recipe to the competition and was selected to face off against four other amateur cooks in Napa, Calif.  Food Network filmed the event, and it will air as a one-hour show to see who has the best burger in America, with a $50,000 cash prize for the grand prize winner.

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Owner of the Lafayette-based Graham Group Advertising agency, Graham’s professional passion has always been advertising and marketing; however, those who know him best know his deepest personal passion, and extraordinary talent, to be cooking.  Graham grew up in Bogalusa in a restaurant family where his father ran the legendary Acme Café, and his brother Jackie owned Graham’s Café, both located downtown on Columbia Street.

“I wanted to craft a burger that the people of Louisiana would be proud of and to represent the rich culture and spice of my region,” said Graham.

Graham’s mouth-watering recipe incorporates Barq’s root beer, Tabasco, Steen’s sugar cane vinegar and molasses products, as well as Zatarain’s creole mustard and root beer extract – plus buns specifically selected from The Fresh Market bakery.  “This burger is all about Louisiana, with local ingredients representing some of the best this state has to offer,” he said.