Burger Wars fundraiser back to help kids in need

Dining out is about to get serious in the Annapolis Valley. Burger Wars is back and coming to a restaurant near you.

From April 1 to April 30, chefs will serve new culinary masterpieces especially created for this Campaign for Kids fundraiser. A buck from each burger goes to the Kings County charity that helps kids in need.

“Entries go from Middleton to Windsor,” said this year’s organizer Andy Forse. “We don’t have final numbers yet but we expect between 25 and 30 participants this year. Last year there were 23 entrants and 5,217 burgers sold.”

For the real burger aficionados the month-long competition is seen as a personal challenge with some people sampling each burger in a gourmand tour across the region.

Last year’s Burger Wars winner was Old Orchard Inn, Forse said, explaining the winner is decided by voting through the website. But the restaurant with the most burgers sold also receives an award.

Burgers Sold

Last year there were two burger joints in a tie for selling the most.

“Port Pub in Port Williams and Jonny’s in Berwick tied for most burgers sold with 662 each,” Forse said. “People go to the Burger Wars website and vote on the burger they tried – and votes are averaged for best score.”

There were some good rivalries last year, Forse said, but he hopes that will heat up in the 2017 Burger Wars.

“Most notably was Paddy’s in Kentville having a side bet with Paddy’s in Wolfville,” said Forse about the rivalries.

“We were a little nervous about getting participation for the first year but the restaurants, starting with Kings Arms Pub in Kentville, were amazing,” Forse said. “They were all so supportive and many restaurants made donations above and beyond the $1 per burger sold. By the end, some restaurants that initially refused were asking to get in the competition because response was so strong.”

Helping Kids

“With the proceeds (along with other fundraising done in the year), CFK had a special project last year where we purchased winter clothing (boots, pants and jackets) for needy students at every kings county school,” said Forse, noting the cost was almost $15,000.

“Without Burger Wars we probably wouldn’t have been able to meet that need,” Forse said.

For more information go to: http://campaignforkids.com/ burgerwars/