(Cushing, Okla.) Naifeh’s Deli & Grill, located at 600 E. Main in Cushing, was one of 15 winners selected by US Foods and the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board in the first-ever Wisconsin Cheeseburger contest. US Foods customers nationwide were eligible to submit recipes.
Owner and operator Joe Naifeh, who has a long history in serving up tantalizing food in the Cimarron Valley, said the Wisconsin Cheeseburger contest was a first for him. “I had never done anything like this before,” Naifeh said. “But we had just come out with our tabouli burger when one of my suppliers told me about the contest, so I decided to enter.”
Naifeh’s winning submission, The Nearly Perfect Tabouli Cheeseburger, made its debut in Cushing in early summer. “It was inspired by my two sons and a couple of the guys who work here,” Naifeh said. “The guys like to have food ‘throw downs’ and we started mixing different flavors together and came up with the tabouli burger.”
The flavors in the Nearly Perfect Tabouli Cheeseburger are distinctly Lebanese – a hefty 1/2 pound “kafta” (hamburger plus a special mix of seasonings), hummus, tabouli and three Wisconsin cheeses (feta, provolone and cheddar).
Winners of the contest were selected based on creativity, originality, innovative cooking techniques, use of current industry trends and the inclusion of Wisconsin cheese.
“We love the enthusiasm of our customers across the country as they entered their mouth-watering cheeseburger recipes in the competition,” said Eric Cronert, vice president of brand marketing, US Foods. “We saw a lot of great, original submissions from innovative chefs in the industry who continually surprise and delight diners with delicious, flavorful dishes.”
“We are very proud to have been selected as one of the winners,” Naifeh said.
Winners receive an all-inclusive trip (including transportation and lodging) to Wisconsin for a chef tour at a Wisconsin cheese manufacture plant, with hands-on cheese training including beverage and culinary pairings with cheese.
Winning recipes will be featured on the US Foods website at www.usfoods.com
Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board is a non-profit organization of Wisconsin dairy producers that promotes the consumption of milk, cheese and other dairy products made in America’s Dairyland.
US Foods is the 10th largest private company in America and a leading food service distributor. Many of the entities that make up US Foods were founded in the 19th century, including one that sold provisions to travelers heading west during the 1850s gold rush. US Foods offers more than 350,000 national brand products and its own high-quality “exclusive brand” items, ranging from fresh meats and produce to prepared and frozen foods. The company proudly employs approximately 25,000 people in more than 60 location nationwide. For more information go to: www.usfoods.com
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